Program Eligibility Requirements
Program must be either charitable or have an academic affiliation (AdvaMed requirement)
Program must have participated in the 2023 AOFAS-sponsored Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Fellowship Match for the 2024-25 academic year, or have been approved as a newly accredited fellowship program
Program must have at least one fellow arranged for that fellowship year
Program must be an AOFAS-approved accredited fellowship program
Requirements for Programs Awarded a Grant
Program must pay AOFAS membership dues for their fellows
Program must pay for their fellows to attend the 2024 AOFAS Annual Meeting, 2025 Winter Meeting, or 2025 Annual Meeting
Fellow(s) must submit a manuscript to FAI/FAO during the fellowship year or submit an abstract to the 2025 Annual Meeting or 2025 Winter Meeting or show some level of scholarly activity related to foot and ankle
care.
Program must submit case logs per fellow for the academic year of the grant (per accreditation guidelines)
Within 30 days of the end of the fellowship year, program must complete a final report containing the items listed below under "Post Hoc Review Process/Reporting Requirements"
Grant Amount and Expenditures
Amount of Grant
Maximum grant amounts will be determined by dividing the total grant dollars ($690,000) by the total number of filled fellowship positions meeting the above criteria for the academic year. The intent is for each selected program to receive an equal per-fellow
amount, but the exact amount is dependent upon, and subject to, Fellowship Grants Review Committee recommendations and ultimate approval by the AOFAS Board of Directors.
Expenditures
Eligible and ineligible expenses for the fellow(s) are specified below. Funds unused by the close of the fellowship year shall be returned to the Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Foundation.
Covered expenses
- salary
- benefits
- direct educational expenses for AOFAS meetings/courses, including:
- meeting/course registration fees
- travel
- housing accommodations
- meals (within reason)
- research activity
- manuscript/abstract submission fees for AOFAS meetings/publications
Non-covered Expenses
- license registration and/or renewal
- malpractice insurance coverage
- capital equipment expenditures
- overhead (including indirect costs from shared services)
- endowment funding
- membership dues to medical associations, including AOFAS and AAOS
- other expenses not deemed to directly benefit fellow education upon review by the Committee
Application Review Process
AOFAS Fellowship Committee reviews all applications to ensure compliance with fellowship accreditation guidelines. Subject to the restrictions specified above, all AOFAS-approved accreditation fellowship program qualify for the grant(s).
Post Hoc Review Process/Reporting Requirements
Within 30 days of the end of the fellowship year, each program will complete a final report, which shall include the following items:
- a brief narrative of activities supported by the Grant, including but not limited to the following:
- Educational program participation funded – meeting name(s)
- Abstracts – AOFAS abstract number, acceptance determination, all podium/poster presentations
- Manuscripts – FAI/FAO manuscript number, acceptance determination, article PDF or citation (for published manuscripts)
- Research – projects, grant submission, or other submitted scientific or educational research
- financial accounting of all grant money expenditures
Questions?
Contact the AOFAS at 800-235-4855 or fellowship@aofas.org.