Clinical Research Training Institute Mediterranean, Middle East, and North Africa

The ASH Clinical Research Training Institute (CRTI) Mediterranean, Middle East, and North Africa (MMENA) is a three-day highly-interactive in-person workshop intended for fellows and early- to mid-career hematology faculty working in countries the Mediterranean, Middle East, and North African regions who wish to become more familiar with clinical trial design and execution. As a participant, you will:

• Build the foundation and explore the methodologies of patient-oriented clinical research.
• Strengthen the fundamental skills needed to become a successful patient-oriented clinical leader.
• Gain extensive networking opportunities with others who share the same passion.
• Develop a potential capstone project that builds upon skills learned during the curriculum and small group peer-reviews.
• Receive individualized mentorship from program faculty to advance your proposed project.

Key Dates

The three-day workshop is composed of didactic sessions, small group breakouts, and one-on-one mentoring sessions. The didactic session will focus on observational trial design, helping participants to design and execute an observational study in their context. CRTI MMENA is held three days prior to Highlights of ASH in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and North Africa, which takes place each year in February or March. There is no fee to apply and participants' housing and travel expenses to attend the workshop will be covered by ASH.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants to CRTI-MMENA must meet the following criteria:

• Be a clinician (medical doctor, nurse, psychologist, etc.) with a clinical practice in classical or malignant hematology. Please note a clinical practice exclusively in solid tumors and research interests focused exclusively on laboratory-based research are not sufficient to qualify.
• Be fluent in written and spoken English.
• Be a fellow or have a current faculty appointment within 15 years from the first faculty appointment in a division or department of hematology or oncology in the Mediterranean, Middle East, or North African regions
• Be a physician actively working in and living in one of the following countries during time of application and during the workshop:

Applicants cannot be past recipients of the CRTI-MMENA award.

Criteria for Evaluation, Selection, and Notification

All eligible applications will be reviewed by a study section, and up to 15 qualified candidates will be selected to attend. The selection criteria include:

• Meet application eligibility requirements.
• Demonstrate the potential to develop and sustain an investigator-initiated clinical research career in hematology. This will be adjudicated based upon the CV, research proposal, and goals for attendance.

How to Apply

The CRTI-MMENA application, as well as all supporting documents outlined below, must be submitted electronically through the ASH online awards portal.

All applications must include the following:

• Curriculum vitae (CV) (maximum five pages) with applicant’s complete contact information, description of the applicant’s present faculty position (including title of the position, major responsibilities, and start date), prior training in clinical research (if any), publications, list of trainees the applicant has mentored and their current position (if any), and any other relevant information specific to the applicant’s career in clinical research (please include dates where applicable). The CV must clearly distinguish between peer-reviewed publications from abstracts presented at conferences. For a detailed guide on how to build a curriculum vitae, watch our webinar on “How to Develop a CV”. Note: You must login to ASH Academy to view these resources. You may create a free account to see content on ASH Academy.
• Research Proposal & References (2-page limit for proposal and 1-page limit for references). The proposal should include the following components: background / nature of the problem / the research question; aims and / or objectives; research method, including considerations such as intended population / intervention / end points / statistics / feasibility; significance if research outcomes.
• Goals for attendance (one to two paragraphs). Applicants should state how attendance at CRTI-MMENA will enhance their career. Any submission that does not follow the application requirements, is not formatted correctly, is lacking information, has incorrect information, or is lacking required documents may be deemed ineligible and may not be reviewed by the study section. There will be no appeals or consideration for further review once an application has been determined to be ineligible.

Any submission that does not follow the application requirements, is not formatted correctly, is lacking information, has incorrect information, or is lacking required documents may be deemed ineligible and may not be reviewed by the study section. There will be no appeals or consideration for further review once an application has been determined to be ineligible.

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Terms and Conditions

As a condition of acceptance to the Clinical Research Training Institute in Mediterranean, Middle East, or North Africa, you are required to:

• Be actively working in and living in a country in the Mediterranean, Middle East, or North Africa throughout the duration of the program (from the time the application form is due through the workshop).
• Adhere to all required deadlines.
• Attend all of the workshop. Those selected will be responsible for making arrangements with their institution to attend the CRTI-MMENA program. ASH will coordinate with selected participants for travel and lodging accommodations.
  • Obtain a visa to enter the hosting country (if necessary) as part of their travel arrangements.
  • Make airline reservations through Global Travel Associates, ASH’s official travel agent, by the provided deadline.
• Attend and participate in each small group meeting during the workshop.
• Give a PowerPoint presentation on your submitted research proposal on the last day of the CRTI-MMENA.
• Complete the ASH Conflict-of-Interest (COI) form and abide by the ASH COI policy.
• Execute a confidentiality agreement.
• Cite support from the American Society of Hematology in any publications resulting from the CRTI project.
• Respond to future inquiries from ASH regarding your career progression.

Acceptance into CRTI-MMENA cannot be transferred or deferred.

Questions?

For questions regarding the Clinical Research Training Institute - Mediterranean, Middle East, and North Africa, please contact the ASH Training Department at [email protected]