Newswise — CHICAGO – The Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER), a charitable arm of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), today announced improvements to its flagship Mentored Research Training Grant (MRTG) for junior faculty physician anesthesiologists embarking on research careers. Changes include an increase in the funding amount by over 40 percent to $250,000 and the addition of a self-standing annual meeting to support career development and networking among recipients.

“FAER’s Board of Directors approved enhancements to the grant, which previously remained unchanged for more than 10 years,” said FAER President and CEO James C. Eisenach, M.D. “Increasing funding and providing new ways to help recipients continue their success after the grant cycle ends solidifies FAER’s support of new investigators in anesthesiology and keeps FAER relevant in this dynamic specialty.” 

MRTGs help physician anesthesiologists develop the skills, preliminary data for subsequent grant applications, and research publications needed to become independent investigators. The grants are eligible to faculty members who have completed their core anesthesiology residency training within the past 10 years. Grant recipients will receive the $250,000 in funding over a two-year period.

The increase in grant funding will take effect in 2019 and affects applications being accepted now through August 15, 2018 and after. Additionally, a self-standing annual meeting, modeled after those of the National Institute of Aging and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will be created for MRTG recipients to support networking, develop key contacts and refine communication skills.

These improvements are the result of a FAER Board of Directors’ vote following a six-month review of the MRTG grant program completed by key stakeholders including past recipients, department chairs, and directors of research training programs and from interviews with associations that sponsor self-standing, career-development meetings for their scholars.

“It’s critical that we offer FAER MRTG recipients more career development support, as well as opportunities to expand their networks,” said Paloma Toledo, M.D, M.P.H., chair, FAER Board of Directors. “As a past Robert Wood Johnson Harold Amos Faculty Development Scholar, I know the value of establishing continued relationships with peers and fellow physician scientists. With the addition of a dedicated annual meeting, FAER will be able to play a life-long role in the development of these young investigators’ careers.” 

For more information on FAER’s grants and programs, please visit FAER.org. For a complete list of all the grants FAER offers, visit http://www.asahq.org/faer/researchandeducation.

THE FOUNDATION FOR ANESTHESIA EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

The Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) is a related organization of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. For over 30 years, FAER has been dedicated to developing the next generation of physician-scientists in anesthesiology. Charitable contributions and support to FAER help fuel the future of anesthesiology through scientific discovery. Funding priorities include: Research, Education, and Training. FAER has awarded $38.125 million in research grants since 1986. For more information on FAER or to donate, visit FAER.org.

THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS

Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 52,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology. ASA is committed to ensuring physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care every patient deserves.

For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org. To learn more about the role physician anesthesiologists play in ensuring patient safety, visit asahq.org/WhenSecondsCount. Like ASA on Facebook; follow ASALifeline on Twitter.

 

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