Eligibility Criteria

• The supported research should be focused on the impact of COVID19 on GI diseases. This includes, but is not limited to, health care disparities, basic science, recovery, and clinical outcomes.
  
  
• The award is restricted to surgeons who have completed formal clinical training in general surgery and are faculty appointed in a department of surgery at a medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education in the United States or by the Committee for Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools in Canada, or the equivalent national accrediting body for applicants from other countries.
  
  
• Candidates must be a member of the SSAT in good standing with the society.
  
  
• Though a specific amount of dedicated research time is not required, the Head of the Department and/or Division of General Surgery must ensure the applicant has sufficient protected time for the proposed research.
  
  
• The SSAT award of $20,000 per year for two years is meant to support investigators within 10 years of faculty appointment.
  
  
• The second year of funding is conditional on submission and presentation of a progress reports at the end of the first year of funding.
  
  
• It is the applicant’s responsibility to notify the SSAT of potential funding conflicts.
  
  
• The award may be used to support clinical trial infrastructure (research assistants, data analysts, etc.), purchase of large administrative datasets necessary for conducting research, education/formal training in clinical research/biostatistics, and principal investigator salary support to ensure protected research time. No portion of the award is to be used for institutional indirect costs.
  
  
• The recipient will present a progress report the SSAT leadership at the Annual Meeting at the end of the first year of funding as well as immediately following the total award period.
  
  
• It is expected that the recipient submit abstracts arising from his/her COVID-19 Research Award-funded research to the SSAT Annual Meeting for presentation consideration, as well as manuscripts to the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, the official journal of the SSAT, for publication consideration.

Applications
Applications will include:

1. A completed application form.
2. The applicant’s curriculum vitae.
3. A research plan of no more than 8 pages using the following headings:
   1. Title
   2. Summary (Abstract)
   3. Specific Aims
   4. Significance
   5. Innovation
   6. Approach
   7. References
4. Three page summary of the environment supporting the research. If applicable, for new investigators, this should include details regarding mentorship and planned training/career development plan.
5. Appropriate institutional (IRB) approvals.
6. A supporting letter from the Department Head/Division Director indicating a commitment to continuation of the academic position and facilities for research and of adequate protected time.

Review
Applications for the COVID-19 and GI Diseases Research Award will be reviewed by the Research Committee of the SSAT. The successful applicant will be introduced to the membership via email and will be acknowledged during the Opening Session of the SSAT Annual Meeting during Digestive Disease Week®.

Timeline

July 1, 2020	Application Submission Deadline
July 2020	Review process
August 2020	Award notification
November 1, 2020	Beginning of grant period

Please note that this is an online process, and only online applications will be considered.