The Board of Directors solicits applications for the ECAC on an annual basis for the upcoming academic year (July 1 - June 30).  Membership terms are 2 years, which may be renewed once by CVRI.

Successful applicants will join an active committee involved in CVRI activities and benefit from close interactions with their peers and with senior CVRI investigators.  The ECAC encompasses multiple departments and early career levels.

Committee Goals

• Involve Early Career scientists in the activities of the Cardiovascular Research Institute of Vermont
• Reinforce the interest of Early Career scientists at UVM/UVMMC in academic medicine
• Identify and serve the needs of our cardiovascular science Early Career community

Eligibility

• Early Career scientists: PhD and medical students, postdocs, residents, clinical fellows undertaking research, and faculty within 4 years of their first appointment
• Interest or involvement in cardiovascular-related research

Responsibilities

• Attend monthly committee meetings and participate in CVRI events
• Organize and attend networking and career development activities
• Organize and attend journal clubs, Viridis Montis Research Competition, and other CVRI events
• Organize and attend Rising Star Visiting Professor visit and events
• Participate in the review process of Early Career Grants and awards

Term

• 2 years, which may be renewed once by CVRI

Application Process

• Announcement
• Submit the following as one PDF via e-mail to CVRI-VT@med.uvm.edu entitled "ECAC Membership Application"
  • Letter of intent including key attributes the applicant will bring to the committee and CVRI
  • Recommendation letter from mentor including key attributes the applicant will bring to the committee and CVRI
  • CV

Accepting applications February 1

Complete application deadline March 31 

Notice  June 1

Travel awards to support trainees and junior investigators presenting abstracts at regional and national scientific meetings.  These awards are competitive; a limited number of grants are awarded on a rolling basis throughout the academic year.  Each grant provides reimbursement of presentation-related expenses of up to $2,000; more details and the application requirements can be found on the application for funding. Your application must be received by CVRI at least 30 days prior to your presentation.  

Each academic year, CVRI sponsors leaders in cardiovascular research to serve as visiting professors and provide a seminar addressing a cardiovascular topic and of interest to a broad audience.  These visiting professors, hosted by the requesting department, provide lectures to and interact with our research community, with a particular focus on interdepartmental interactions with our early career scientists.  Administration of this award will be handled by the requesting department or division.  Information on CVRI Co-Sponsorship of Cardiovascular Seminars can be found on the Application for Visiting Professor Funding.

The goal of this program is to provide additional avenues of career support to our early career investigators, primarily CVRI’s early career advisory committee and junior investigators who have participated in CVRI’s programs. 

We will aim to pair mentees with mentors based on specific mentorship needs on an as requested basis.  You are welcome to request a specific mentor, however their availability is not guaranteed.  Opportunities may be limited. We will explore mentorship options on your behalf and reach out if anyone is available for an initial discussion.  In the meantime, we encourage you to stay engaged by attending CVRI seminars or events.

Specific mentorship needs may include requests for either short-term or on-going mentorship in the following areas of support: 

• Grant or manuscript writing
• Clinical trials
• Career development
• Work/Life balance
• Establishing collaborations
• How to become a successful independent investigator
• Women in Medicine
• Research in Industry
• Other

CVRI Mentorship Request Form

Summer research fellowships for first year medical students. The CVRI sponsors fellowships at $4,000 each for cardiovascular-related research project; UVM mentors of fellowship recipients also receive assistance with research supplies.  These fellowships are awarded through the UVM LCOM Summer Research Fellowship proposal mechanism.  Please e-mail CVRI at CVRI-VT@med.uvm.edu for more information. 

CVRI Summer Research Mentorship requests: CVRI Mentorship Request Form

Opportunities may be limited. We will explore potential mentorship options on your behalf and reach out if anyone is available for an initial discussion.  In the meantime, we encourage you to stay engaged by attending CVRI seminars or events and connecting with investigators whose work aligns with your interests.

CVRI provides internal review of grant applications and biosketches to support cardiovascular research. E-mail CVRI-VT@med.uvm.edu for more information.  *NOTE: The request for internal review must be made at least 6 weeks before the submission deadline. Please include the funding mechanism to which you are applying for.