Apply for the ASH Scholar Award

Since 1985, the ASH Scholar Award has helped ease the transition between training and the establishment of an independent career in hematology research by providing partial salary or other support during that critical period. The award offers three funding opportunities for hematology researchers. Applicants are eligible to receive the award in each level one time.

• Fellow Scholar Award: Applicants must be in mentored, postdoctoral training positions with five or fewer years of research experience following completion of their terminal doctoral degree.
• Fellow to Faculty Scholar Award: Applicants must be in mentored, postdoctoral training positions, possess five to eight years of research experience following completion of their terminal doctoral degree, and have available no more than $150,000 annually in research funding.
• Junior Faculty Scholar Award: Applicants must have between eight and 13 years of research experience following completion of their terminal doctoral degree. Applicants who hold independent faculty level positions must apply for the Junior Faculty Award. 

Supported Research

Applicants must submit proposals to conduct research in hematology. Proposals that fall within any of the categories discussed below are encouraged:

• Basic Research
• Translational Research
• Patient-Oriented Clinical Research
• Outcomes-Based Research

For additional details on eligible research categories, please consult the Research Definitions page.

Eligibility Requirements

Scholar Award eligibility is evaluated as of the date of the letter of intent deadline. Please read the FAQs for additional information. 

Applicants must meet the following criteria in order to qualify:

• Be a US or Canadian citizen conducting research anywhere in the world; or hold a visa or permanent resident status in the US or Canada with plans to conduct research within the US or Canada
• Non US or Canadian citizens conducting research outside the US or Canada should consider the Global Research Award
• Be an ASH member in good standing at the time of the letter of intent deadline and plan to maintain membership for the duration of the award term. Not an ASH member yet? Take the first step. Please note that your membership application may be pending at the application deadline but must be approved by the award activation date.
• Have confirmation from the applicant’s institution that at least 75 percent of the applicant’s full-time professional effort is devoted to research.
• If you have successfully competed for a substantial award (e.g. NIH R01 or equivalent grant) as the PI or co-PI before the application (not LOI) deadline, you are no longer eligible for the Scholar Award. For guidance on what constitutes the scope of a substantial award, see the descriptions of such awards in the NIH Early Stage Investigator (ESI) program.
• Your primary mentor may be the primary mentor to one applicant per level/category (for example, one basic/translational fellow, one clinical fellow, one basic/translational junior faculty etc.)

Additional requirements vary based on the award level.

Fellow Scholar Award

Provides up to $100,000 over a two- to three-year period in equal quarterly payments over the award term.

The Fellow Scholar Award is intended for individuals preparing for academic careers.

• Applicants must be in mentored, postdoctoral training positions to be eligible to apply for a Scholar Award.
• MD/DO applicants should have more than three years (36 months) and five or fewer years (60 months) of research experience after completion of their MD/DO (including research performed during fellowship but excluding clinical fellowship time).
• MD/DO applicants with three or fewer years (36 months) of research experience (inclusive of fellowship research time) should consider applying for the senior investigator Research Training Award for Fellows.
• PhD or MD/DO-PhD applicants must have five or fewer years (60 months) of research experience after completion of their terminal doctoral degree. (including research performed during fellowship but excluding clinical fellowship time).
• Applicants who hold independent faculty level positions (Assistant Professor, or equivalent – which may be indicated by having achieved the appointment after an external search and/or if the individual has voting rights as a member of the faculty) must apply for the Junior Faculty Award, regardless of research experience. Individuals serving as an ‘acting’ faculty member may be excluded from this requirement. 

Fellow to Faculty Scholar Award

Provides up to $125,000 over a two- to three-year period in equal quarterly payments over the award term.

The Fellow to Faculty Scholar Award is a new award intended for individuals preparing to compete for independent faculty-level positions in the next 24-36 months.

• Applicants must be in mentored, postdoctoral training positions to be eligible to apply for a Fellow to Faculty Scholar Award.
• MD/DO, PhD or MD/DO-PhD applicants must have more than five years (60 months) and eight or fewer years (96 months) of research experience after completion of their terminal doctoral degree (including research performed during fellowship but excluding clinical fellowship time).
• At the time of award activation, applicants must have available no more than $150,000 annually in research funding, not including the applicant's salary/fringe or funding from within the institution.
• Applicants that have completed a Fellow Scholar Award but have five or fewer years (60 months) research experience are eligible to apply for the Fellow to Faculty Scholar Award.
• Additionally, applicants who are found to be ineligible for the Fellow to Faculty award might be moved to the Junior Faculty category.
• Applicants who hold independent faculty level positions (Assistant Professor, or equivalent – which may be indicated by having achieved the appointment after an external search and/or if the individual has voting rights as a member of the faculty) must apply for the Junior Faculty Award, regardless of research experience. Individuals serving as an ‘acting’ faculty member may be excluded from this requirement. 

Junior Faculty Scholar Award

Provides up to $150,000 over a two- to three-year period in equal quarterly payments over the award term.

• MD/DO, PhD or MD/DO-PhD applicants must have more than eight years (96 months) and 13 or fewer years (156 months) of research experience after completion of their terminal doctoral degree (including research performed during fellowship but excluding clinical fellowship time).
• Applicants with more than 5 years (60 months) and eight or fewer years (96 months) of research experience who have already received, or do not meet the eligibility requirements for the Fellow to Faculty Scholar Award, are eligible to apply for the Junior Faculty Scholar Award.
• Applicants who hold independent faculty level positions (Assistant Professor, or equivalent – which may be indicated by having achieved the appointment after an external search and/or if the individual has voting rights as a member of the faculty) must apply for the Junior Faculty Award, regardless of research experience. Individuals serving as an ‘acting’ faculty member may be excluded from this requirement.

An individual cannot hold concurrent ASH awards. 

Application Process

The Scholar Award letter of intent (LOI) and the supporting documents outlined below must be submitted through the ASH online awards system. The LOI is mandatory and will be reviewed for eligibility to submit a full proposal. In addition to the letter of intent, the applicant must submit the following:

• Abstract of proposed project (350 words maximum)
• Applicant's NIH Biographical Sketch
• Fellow to Faculty applicants will need to submit the Supplemental Budget Form. Please see the instruction in the online award system.

Apply now

ASH will perform a preliminary review of these materials to confirm eligibility and the appropriateness of the selected research category. If additional information is required, ASH staff will contact the applicant prior to June.

Eligible applicants will be invited in early June to submit the full application.

ASH-Peter Steelman Scholar Award

During the LOI, there is a checkbox asking if the applicant would like to be considered for the ASH-Peter Steelman Scholar Award. Peter Steelman was a partner at Deerfield Management Company who passed away after a 17-month battle with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in 2021. The grant supporting this award is made possible by the Deerfield Foundation to honor the memory of Peter’s life and continue his legacy of kindness, respect, and hard work.

Scholar Award applicants with AML focused projects are eligible to be considered. The benefits of this award include offerings from the Deerfield Foundation such as funding and invitations to attend relevant scientific summits and lecture series. This may include opportunities for the recipient to present their work and meet with key opinion leaders. Additionally, awardee names will be highlighted on the ASH award recipients webpage and annual meeting materials for additional exposure. The award does not include additional research funding beyond the traditional ASH Scholar Award.

Evaluation, Selection, and Notification

The review of the Scholar Award applications is based on the scientific merit and quality of the applicant. However, in fairness to programmatic balance, no more than two awards will be granted per category (basic research fellow, basic research junior faculty, clinical/translational fellow, clinical/translational junior faculty) per medical school. For this purpose, ASH defines medical school so that it encompasses all sub-institutions (e.g., University of Washington would include the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Children's Hospital, etc.).

Individuals selected to receive this award will be notified in January, with the award commencing in July. 

Terms and Conditions

Transfers

In the event the scholar transfers to another institution during the funding period, continuation of the funding at the new institution may be allowed with prior approval from ASH. To obtain permission, the scholar must make a request in writing to the Society before the transfer occurs.

Reallocation

Scholars may request a reallocation of funds from one expense category to another by submitting the request in writing to the Treasurer at the Society's headquarters. This written request must specify the dollar amount, which categories are impacted, and a justification as to why this change is necessary.

All transfer and/or reallocation requests must be sent to [email protected]. ASH staff will work with the ASH Treasurer to make final determinations.

Changing Mentors

Please contact [email protected] if you need to change primary mentors. This must be approved by the Awards Committee chair.

Progress Reports

Scholar Award recipients are required to submit to ASH a letter from a division head or department chair requesting second year funding. It should also provide assurances that the scholar’s work has progressed and that both appropriate facilities and the mentor will continue to be available.

Scholars with two-year awards will need to submit a letter at the end of the first year of their award. Scholars whose award is spread over three years should submit a letter at the end of both the first and second year.

Failure to submit the letter after the first and/or second year will render the scholar ineligible for the second or third year of funding.

Final Reports

A final written report (not to exceed four pages) is expected within 60 days of the end of the award period.

Scholar Award recipients, along with the financial officers from their institutions, must also submit a financial report detailing how the funds were used over the two- or three-year period. This report must be submitted within 60 days of the end of the award period.

Both final reports must be sent to [email protected]. 

Benefits

Any benefits associated with the ASH Scholar Award are for two years, even if payments are spread over three years.

Questions?

For questions about the ASH Scholar Award, please contact [email protected].