FAQs for Scholar Award Applicants

Eligibility

If I have been selected to participate in the coming August’s Clinical Research Training Institute am I eligible for the Scholar Awards?
No. You can not be a Clinical Research Training Institute trainee and compete for a Scholar Award concurrently.

What are the citizenship requirements for applicants?
Eligible applicants need to be a citizen of the U.S. or Canada. Applicants who hold a visa in the U.S. or Canada are also eligible to apply.

What if I am an independent investigator (junior faculty) and do not have a mentor?
In order to be eligible to receive a Scholar award (both fellow and junior faculty awards), you must have both a primary mentor and secondary mentor. If you don’t technically have someone serving as your mentor, ASH recommends you chose the chair of your department to serve as your mentor. The mentor’s role is really to provide oversight. They must be available to sign-off on materials throughout the year.

What if I am an instructor, but at my institution I am considered an assistant professor, am I eligible for the junior faculty award?
ASH will need clarification from your institution. A formal letter must be submitted by your department chair explaining your position at the institution along with your letter of intent (LOI). The ASH Scholar Awards program Study Section Chair will then review and determine your eligibility. The current position must be tenure-track and you must be considered an independent investigator to be eligible for the junior faculty award.

My institution does not have tenure. Am I eligible for the junior faculty award?
ASH will need clarification from your institution. A formal letter must be submitted by your department chair explaining your institution’s policy on tenure along with your letter of intent (LOI). The ASH Scholar Awards program Study Section Chair will then review the policy and determine your eligibility.

What if I change institutions after I submit the letter of intent?
ASH asks that you inform the Society of your transfer either prior to submitting the application or in the cover letter of your application – especially if you should have a new e-mail address. Please note: an individual from your new institution must serve as either your primary mentor or secondary mentor on your application.

Are awardees permitted to have simultaneous funding?
Yes, but it depends. If you received a NIH R01 grant at the time of application, you are no longer eligible. If you are awarded a NIH K grant at the time of application, you are still eligible. Other grants you receive may have their own limitations, but ASH has none other than the R01.

If I have been awarded a NIH R01 grant after my LOI but before the application is due, am I still eligible?
No. ASH will not accept your application if you have been awarded a R01 grant. However, if you have been awarded a NIH K grant, then you are still eligible to apply for an ASH Scholar Award.

Application

Can I change the focus of my research after I submit a LOI?
Yes. If you decide to change the focus of your research on your application from that of the letter of intent, we will still accept your application. However, the focus must still be related to hematology.

Can I e-mail the application?
No. ASH requires that all applications be signed and mailed. ASH asks that you send three copies of your application, along with the original – for a total of four full applications.

How strong are the restrictions on the page limit of the research plan (narrative)?
ASH maintains strict guidelines for the Scholar applications. If your application should be longer than what is required, it will NOT be eligible for review.

Are indirect costs allowed?
No. Indirect costs, which include any institutional costs, are not allowed with any ASH Scholar Award. Acceptable items to be figured into your budget include salary (PI or lab staff), fringe benefits (medical insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, retirement funds), and direct costs (supplies, equipment).

When is the application due?
All applications must be received at ASH headquarters by the close of business (5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time) on August 28, 2008. Applications with a postmark of the deadline date will NOT be accepted. Late or incomplete applications will NOT be reviewed.

If I forget to include a required element of the application, can I send it separately to be added in?
No, once we receive the application it must be complete and in the correct order, or it will not be reviewed.

Mentor

Do both my primary mentor and secondary mentor need to be an ASH member?
No. Only one of the two needs to be an ASH member.

How do I know if my primary mentor or secondary mentor is an ASH member?
One option is asking the individual. Another option would be to check ASH's online Member Directory; however, you must be an ASH member to log into this feature. A last resort would be to e-mail Tiffanie Luckett at tluckett@hematology.org with your list of potential mentors.

Does my primary mentor have to be from my institution?
Ideally, yes, your primary mentor should be at your institution. However, in some cases, we understand that your mentor may be at another institution. In this case, it is strongly encouraged that if your primary mentor is not from your institution, then your secondary mentor should be.

Can my mentor use the NIH bio sketch for the ASH Scholar Awards?
Yes – regardless of how long it is.

Can the four copies of the primary mentor and secondary mentor’s signature be photocopied, or do they all have to be original signatures?
Only your original application should have live signatures. The three copies of your application can have photocopied signatures.

Do you want the primary mentor and secondary mentor letters in sealed envelopes?
No. ASH prefers that all primary mentor and secondary mentor letters be sorted in the order of your application checklist and not in envelopes. This makes it easier for us to process your application.

If I have two mentors can they act as co-mentors?
No. For the purposes of the application you will need to declare one primary mentor. We recommend you choose one to be your primary mentor, and have the other act as your secondary mentor.