AGA-Gastric Cancer Foundation Ben Feinstein Memorial Research Scholar Award in Gastric Cancer

Objective The objective of the AGA Research Foundation Research Scholar Award (RSA) is to support early-career investigators working toward independent and productive research careers in digestive diseases by ensuring that a major proportion of their time is protected for research (i.e., a minimum of 50 percent effort dedicated to the proposed project). The award will support junior faculty (not fellows) who have demonstrated exceptional promise and have some record of accomplishment in research pertaining to upper GI (gastric) cancer.

Application requirements

• AGA membership must be maintained throughout the three-year duration of the award.
• Resources allocated through this award are intended to support the career development of the applicant. The applicant must allocate a minimum of 50 percent effort to the proposed project.
• Candidates are required to have a sponsor and mentor for the award; one individual may serve in the capacity of both positions. A sponsor (typically a division chief or department chair) is an individual who takes responsibility for the quality assessment of the proposed research project, the quality of the research environment within which the project will be undertaken, and the experience and expertise of the principal investigator and other key researchers involved. A mentor will supervise the principal investigator’s research activities and will serve as a mentor.
• The intent of this award is to foster the scientific independence of junior investigators. Candidates whose research activities become incorporated into a grant application from a senior mentor will need to clearly delineate the scientific and experimental distinctions between their respective programs. This requirement applies both to pending applications submitted prior to review of this award and to applications submitted during the term of the RSA. It must also be clearly stated how the work submitted by the applicant is that of the applicant and not that of the senior mentor(s).
• A complete research facilities and resources form must be submitted.
• Biographical sketches for the applicant, mentor and other key personnel must be submitted.
• Upon notification of receipt of this award, the recipient must provide institutional approval from the appropriate committee(s) for use of human subjects or animals. If approval is not necessary, then the recipient must provide an explanation.
• Scientific and financial progress reports must be submitted to AGA annually and final reports 60 days after the end date of the grant period. Report templates and instructions are provided to awardees at the time of acceptance. Second- and third-year funding are contingent upon the submission and accuracy of this documentation.
• All publications, presentations and abstracts arising from work funded by this program must acknowledge support of the AGA-Gastric Cancer Foundation Ben Feinstein Memorial Research Scholar Award in Gastric Cancer.

Applicant eligibility

• Candidates for this award must hold an MD, PhD and/or equivalent degree (e.g., MB, ChB, MBBS, DO) and a full-time faculty position at an institution in North America (United States, Canada or Mexico) by the start date (i.e., July 2023) of this award.
• Applicants must classify as “early career” according to the following criteria: MD (or equivalent) applicants are considered “early career” if no more than seven years have elapsed following the completion of clinical training (GI fellowship or its equivalent) and the start date of this award (July 2023). PhD (or equivalent) applicants are considered “early career” if no more than seven years have elapsed following conferment of the PhD degree and the start date of this award (July 2023). An appropriately documented leave of absence, such as parental or medical leave, will not be counted toward the above seven-year eligibility criteria. Exceptional circumstances may also be considered. Exemption requests must be submitted to AGA via email (awards@gastro.org) at least three weeks prior to the application deadline and be clearly indicated in the submitted application documents.
• Applicants performing any type of research (basic, translational, clinical) relevant to gastric cancer are eligible to apply. Applicants will be asked to self-assign their proposal to one of the following categories: Clinical: Research involving direct contact with human subjects or using clinical data to address problems related to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment or outcome of human diseases (e.g., clinical epidemiology). This category also includes research related to health care delivery (e.g., health services, health IT). Basic/Translational: Research with a primary goal of understanding basic biology or disease mechanisms. This category can involve animal subjects, cell culture, human biospecimens or human data as resources for laboratory- or informatics-based investigation.
• AGA membership is required at the time of application submission. Please visit the AGA membership page or call 301-654-2055 for membership information.
• Applicants who are physician-scientists, female or from racial/ethnic groups underrepresented in biomedical research are strongly encouraged to apply.