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Canadian Association for Study of Liver (CASL)

is pleased to announce the

CASL/Merck

Clinical Fellowship in Hepatology

*** PLEASE NOTE ***

We have received various queries as to the start date of the CASL/Merck Clinical Hepatology Fellowship that was recently announced. As described in the RFA, the start date is flexible but must be before December 31, 2010. For various administrative reasons, the fellowship could not be advertised prior to the typical July to June cycle of fellowships in the past. In the near future, we hope to advertise for additional clinical and research (e.g. CIHR-cosponsored) fellowships that will begin in July 2011, but are awaiting confirmation of support from our industry sponsors. Potentially interested CASL members should monitor the CASL and CIHR websites for upcoming announcements.

 

In the event that a qualified fellow has recently begun a Hepatology fellowship (e.g. in July 2010) that fulfills the criteria outlined in the RFA, they will be considered for this fellowship but must agree to complete a 1-year training period from the date of acceptance of this award. In such a case, fellows will not be eligible to hold the CASL/Merck Fellowship in addition to other awards (e.g. CIHR fellowships). If you have any questions about this initiative, please feel free to contact Rob Myers (rpmyers@ucalgary.ca) or Rebecca Swanson, the CASL secretariat (casl@hepatology.ca).

 

Application Deadline: September 30, 2010
Application Form: Click Here
 

Description

The purpose of this program is to provide salary and benefits for individuals pursuing additional training focused on patient care in hepatology, to begin before December 31, 2010 (exact start date is flexible).

 

Eligibility Criteria
 

1. Candidates for the Fellowship must hold an MD degree.
2. The fellowship is open to all applicants, but Canadian citizens or permanent residents will be given first consideration. The recipient and supervisor are responsible for ensuring that appropriate work visa and/or permit is in place by the time of award tenure.
3. Candidates for the Fellowship must have completed training in a primary specialty (e.g. Internal Medicine or Pediatrics). Candidates who have completed a Gastroenterology residency by the time of the Fellowship tenure will be given first consideration.
4. Fellowship training ideally should be carried out at accredited Canadian institutions.  Exceptional training opportunities outside of Canada will be considered, but letter of support from the proposed supervisor and institution must accompany the application.
5. The supervisor must be a member of CASL. For training opportunities outside of Canada, the applicant must have a sponsor who is a member of CASL.
6. The supervisor must confirm that the Fellow will receive a well-rounded experience in clinical hepatology by submitting a 2-page summary outlining the training specifics (see Required Documents section).
7. An interim progress report (500 words) must be jointly submitted by the supervisor and recipient to CASL 6 months after the award tenure.
8. A final report (500 words) must be jointly submitted by the supervisor and recipient to CASL no later than 2 months after the end of the award tenure.
9. Any publications and/or presentations arising from work during the award tenure should acknowledge the training award support, CASL and the industry sponsor.

 

Level of Funding

 

The Fellowship award will be $60,000.  This amount is for salary and benefits (up to 8%) for the recipient.  Awards are granted to the individual applicant, not the applicant’s institution.  However, funds will be paid directly to the awardee’s institution.  Awards cannot be transferred to another institution and recipient cannot change supervisor or institution without prior written approval from CASL.  The award recipient is responsible in ensuring that payment arrangement is in place at the institution.
 

Payments of the award will be in the form of two equal installments to be arranged depending on the specific tenure of the award
 

Period of Support
 

The Fellowship award will provide funding for one year. 
 

Selection Criteria
 

Candidates will be evaluated based upon their credentials and commitment to clinical hepatology.  Specifically, applications will be reviewed based on:
 

• Professional potential of the applicant
• Clinical and academic experience and commitment of the supervisor
• Opportunities and quality of the training environment
• Relevance to CASL's mandate 

 

The CASL Education Committee will review the applications and select the recipient for the Clinical Fellowship award.  Applications will be reviewed based only on the submitted written materials.  Incomplete applications and applications that fail to adhere strictly to the instructions (including the submission deadline and page limitations) will not be reviewed. The successful applicants will be notified October 15, 2010.

Submission Process and Deadline

An original and five (5) copies of the completed application (including support materials) must be received by September 30, 2010 and should be sent to:

Canadian Association for the Study of Liver
c/o Rebecca Swanson

BUKSA Strategic Conference Services
Suite 307, 10328 – 81 Avenue NW

Edmonton, AB  T6E 1X2