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Jane Fitch Education Award

The Jane Fitch Education Award supports high-quality educational initiatives in cardiovascular anesthesiology. It serves as a seed grant for small pilot or proof-of-concept projects that benefit all members of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA).

Timeline

• Opens: October 20, 2025
• Closes: January 19, 2026
• Project Completion: Within 2 years of award
• Award Amount: $5,000

Eligibility

You must:

1. Be a member of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA).
2. Practice in cardiothoracic or vascular anesthesia.
3. Hold an MD or DO degree.
4. Be at any career stage.
5. Propose a project that benefits all SCA members.

Application Components

1. Title Page (use SCA template)

Include:

• Project Title
• Applicant’s name, degrees, rank
• Sponsoring institution
• Department chair info (name, address, phone)
• Financial officer info (name, address, phone)

2. Curriculum Vitae

A concise CV highlighting educational and leadership experience.

3. Letter of Support (Department Chair)

Must address:

• Applicant’s educational and professional strengths
• Departmental support for project and time allocation
• Available facilities/resources
• Agreement to return unused funds if project incomplete

Project Plan (≤ 5 pages, double spaced, 12 pt. font)

1. Background

• Applicant’s education and leadership background
• Examples of prior educational initiatives

2. Project Proposal

Include:

• Description: What the project is, where it will be housed, collaborators, and required tools (e.g., software).
• Access: Must be available to all SCA members (not limited to your institution).
• Target Audience: Specify learners — clinicians, trainees, faculty, or patients (if applicable).
• Sustainability Plan: How the project will continue to benefit others post-funding.
• Evaluation Plan: Clear steps to measure outcomes and impact.
• AI Acknowledgment: State if AI tools were used in proposal preparation.

Potential Project Ideas

You can tailor your proposal around:

• AI or digital learning tools for curriculum design, learner assessment, or faculty development
• Faculty development initiatives within cardiac anesthesia education
• A new course for SCA members (similar to ARC: A Review Course)
• Evidence-based, systems-based, or patient safety educational interventions promoting high-value, equitable care

Submission Information

• Submission Email: awards@scahq.org
• Format: Single PDF file
• Deadline: January 19, 2026, by 11:59 pm Central Time
• Questions: awards@scahq.org

2026 SCA Research Grants

Apply Now!

SCA supports cardiothoracic and vascular research projects. This is the basis for the creation of the SCA Starter Grant, Joyce Wahr Starter Grant, Michael Cahalan Grant, and the In-Training Grant.

Grants Information

• Four types of grants will be awarded in 2026:
  • SCA Michael Cahalan Grant – up to $75,000 per year for two
  • SCA Starter Grant – up to $37,500 per year for two years.
  • SCA Joyce Wahr Starter Grant – up to $37,500 per year for two years.
  • SCA In-Training Grant – $15,000 for one year.

Please Note: The Starter Grant and the Joyce Wahr Starter Grant request the same application information and formatting. At the time of application, the PI should identify if they are eligible for, and wish to be considered for, both the Joyce Wahr Starter Grant and the Starter Grant, or for one or the other only.

The awards will be announced prior to the 2026 SCA Annual Meeting & Workshops in Nashville, TN. The grant period of 24 months can begin any time from July 1 to December 31 of the year granted. Grant recipients are required to present their work at a subsequent SCA Annual Meeting.

Applications will close on February 9, 2026.

CLICK HERE TO START YOUR RESEARCH APPLICATION

Click Here for the 2026 SCA Research Grants requirements and instructions.

Click Here for the Research Grants Checklist (Please submit with your application).

Click Here for the Research Grants Title Page (Please submit with your application).

ACTA Fellowship Match Program
Adult Cardio Anesthesiology Fellowship Match Program

2027 Match Exception Agreement Process
Open November 3, 2025 – June 4, 2026 (12pm Pacific)

Program Details

In order to provide more consistency and predictability to the ACTA fellowship application process, the ACTA programs participate in a common application and match process provided by SF Match for recruitment.

Applicants and programs participate by registering with SF Match and applicants applying to the programs of their choice. Both programs and applicants submit a rank list based on their preferences. Notably, only programs where an applicant has interviewed can be ranked in the match.

Critical to the match process, programs and applicants can make an Exception Agreement prior to submitting their rank list to SF Match. Exception Agreements allow an applicant and program to agree to match each other prior to submitting their respective rank lists. Importantly, all ACTA positions must be included in the match, including all Exception Agreement positions.

Exceptions to the standard match process have been agreed upon by the ACTA Fellowship Program Directors Council in the following situations:

Applicants who are in active military service at the time of application.

• Internal candidates, i.e. applicants who are currently in the anesthesiology residency program at the same institution as the ACTA fellowship.
• Applicants who are making a commitment to come to the institution of the ACTA fellowship for more than one year.
• Applicants who are enrolled in an anesthesiology residency outside of the USA at the time of application.
• Applicants who reside outside the USA at the time of application or who are not eligible for ABA certification due non-US training.
• Applicants whose spouse or partner is applying for a GME-approved post graduate training program in a medical specialty in the same region as the ACTA fellowship.

Please note the following: Eligible applicants and programs who wish to take advantage of an exception rule are still required to participate in the match ranking process and must complete an exception agreement. Any match irregularities will be referred to the ACTA Fellowship Program Directors Council leadership.

Program directors complete the first part of the match exception process. To begin, click HERE. Fellows: do NOT begin this process!
(Link will be active beginning November 3, 2025)

Contact SCA’s Operation Services at 847-805-8527 or via email to operations@scahq.org.

Time Table

Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship Match for 2026 Positions

Dear SCA Members,

The Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA) is excited to introduce a new Special Interest Group (SIG) in Critical Care Medicine.

Critical care is a vital component of the cardiac surgical journey. By establishing this group, the SCA continues to advance its mission to “transform perioperative cardiovascular and thoracic care through education, research, and global collaboration.”

Purpose of the Critical Care SIG

Anesthesiologists represent a significant portion of critical care physicians caring for cardiothoracic and vascular patients. The Critical Care SIG will:

• Provide a professional “home” for intensivists specializing in cardiothoracic critical care.
• Strengthen collaboration and community among SCA members across the entire perioperative course.
• Create an environment for shared learning in the management of mechanical circulatory assist devices (MCS)
• Encourage cardiothoracic intensivists—including those not formally trained in cardiac anesthesiology—to engage with and join the SCA.

Join Us

If you are interested in becoming part of the Critical Care Special Interest Group, please click the link below. You will be added to the roster and included in all future communications from the group.

JOIN THE CRITICAL CARE SIG