Early Career Investigator Award

The Research Committee will select the top five eligible abstracts to receive an SCA Early Career Investigator Award (ECIA). Each recipient will be recognized during the SCA Annual Meeting and in the SCA Newsletter, give an oral presentation of the abstract during the Annual Meeting, and receive a $1,000 travel award to allow attendance at the Annual Meeting.

To be considered for this award, authors must identify their submission as ECIA eligible at the time of submission and submit supporting documentation.

Priority will be given to studies that elucidate the pathophysiology of cardiac, thoracic, or vascular disease or explore novel therapeutic possibilities based on mechanisms of disease.


SCA Management will notify you of the status of your application in late January 2024.

General Rules and Eligibility Requirements

  • Submitting abstract author must
    • Be enrolled in an Anesthesiology Residency or Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship program or have completed such training in the previous 12 months prior to the SCA Annual Meeting
    • Be an SCA member
    • Have performed the majority of the research
  • The abstract must be submitted to the Annual Meeting’s Scientific Program abstract Abstracts submitted to any other call will not be considered
  • Joint first author abstracts are not eligible for consideration
  • The research must be an original, scientifically sound, hypothesis-driven exploration
  • The abstract must be unpublished in manuscript form
    • The abstract may be simultaneously submitted for publication, but it must be under publication embargo (online or print) until after the SCA Annual Meeting
  • A senior mentor must assume responsibility for the research

Application Requirements

  • The abstract submission form includes a field pertaining to eligibility for the Submitting authors must select the checkbox to indicate their interest in and verify their eligibility for the award.
  • After the abstract has been submitted, the senior mentor must submit a letter to kflowers@scahq.org stating the following by December 1, 2023, at 11:59 PM.
    • The applicant is eligible for the award
    • The applicant’s status in the training program where the research is taking place
    • Describe the applicant’s contributions to the research
    • The applicant’s NIH Biosketch
    • The senior mentor’s role in the project
    • The senior mentor’s NIH Biosketch