Fellowship Scholarships

AOFAS is pleased to announce that additional funding has been secured for the 2022-23 fellowship year!

The Stryker Fellowship Scholarship, supported by a grant from Stryker, supports AOFAS-affiliated orthopaedic foot and ankle fellowship training programs by enhancing the fellows’ educational and research or other scholarly experience during their fellowship year.

The AOFAS Fellowship Scholarship funds education and training for fellows enrolled in qualifying AOFAS-affiliated orthopaedic foot and ankle fellowship programs. These scholarships are funded by the Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Foundation, supported in part by a grant from DePuy Synthes.

Grant Purpose

The purpose and only use of this Grant is for funding the education and training of fellows enrolled in a qualifying AOFAS-affiliated orthopaedic foot and ankle fellowship program. It is the intent that this Grant fund specific endeavors of advanced orthopaedic foot and ankle education and scientific inquiry, and humanitarian efforts, rather than solely salary support. Grants will be issued to fellowship programs, not to individual fellows.

Grant Calendar

The standard academic year supported by this grant is August 1, 2022 – July 31, 2023

The application period is now open. Contact fellowship@aofas.org to request an application.

Deadline to finalize application: July 15, 2022

Applicants will be notified of their grant status by July 29, 2022

Grants disbursements will begin September 1, 2022, pending approval and receipt of final report from the 2021-22 grant cycle

Program Eligibility Requirements

• Program must be either charitable or have an academic affiliation (AdvaMed requirement)

• Program must have participated in the 2021 AOFAS-sponsored Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Fellowship Match for the 2022-23 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 2022 AOFAS Annual Meeting or 2023 Winter Meeting

• Fellow(s) must submit a manuscript to FAI/FAO during the fellowship year or submit an abstract to the 2022 Annual Meeting or 2023 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:

1. 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
2. financial accounting of all grant money expenditures

Questions?

Contact the AOFAS at 800-235-4855 or fellowship@aofas.org.

Congratulations to the 2021-22 Scholarship Recipients!

The following orthopaedic foot and ankle fellowship programs were awarded grants for the 2021-22 academic year. The grant money is divided equally among the 31 fellowship positions at the programs.