The Heart Rhythm Society has established post-doctoral fellowships in cardiac electrophysiology, encouraging and supporting research training of individuals in either basic or clinical electrophysiology. 

These fellowships assist diverse awardees to begin careers in electrophysiology research while obtaining significant research results.

SCIENCE FOCUS 

The proposed research must be relevant to the goals and aims of the Heart Rhythm Society. Appropriate fields of study include epidemiological, outcomes research, and clinical and basic investigations within the general area of cardiac electrophysiology.

HRS DIVERSITY COMMITMENT 

HRS stakeholders share a common passion for accomplishing our mission to end death and suffering from heart rhythm disorders. We believe our diverse backgrounds, experiences, and interests are assets in reaching that goal. We are committed to providing an inclusive environment in all our activities where everyone feels valued, respected, and welcome. We strive to have organizational leaders who represent all aspects of our diversity and who promote the diversity, equity, and inclusion that are essential to our success.

SPONSOR 

Fellows must receive counsel and direction from a senior investigator interested in the conduct and progress of the research project, and each fellow must have a qualified sponsor.

Each sponsor is limited to one application per funding cycle. If more than one applicant lists the same sponsor, all applications with that sponsor will be withdrawn.

BUDGET ITEMS 

The only allowable budget items are applicant salary, fringe benefits, and indirect costs. The total of all budget items must equal the $50,000 award amount. Although not a requirement, if indirect costs are requested, the maximum allowable amount is $4,545 (10% of direct costs). Supplies, project costs, and meeting and travel expenses are not allowable budget items. 

The sponsoring institution may supplementsalary, as allowable in the budget, provided the salary is comparable to the salary paid by the sponsoring institution to fellows of the same post-graduate year as the applicant.

ANNUAL AWARD AMOUNT 

$50,000 (inclusive of indirect costs) 

AWARD DURATION One year. Awardees are permitted to submit a new application for a second year. 

APPLICATION SUBMISSION 

The applicant must submit all materials, including sponsor letters, to the website by Sunday, January 19, 2025, at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time. No late submissions will be accepted, and no exceptions will be made. 

Applications must be submitted via the website and cannot be mailed or emailed to the Heart Rhythm Society.

REVIEW PROCESS
Three Heart Rhythm Society Research Fellowship Subcommittee members will review each application, and the reviewers will remain anonymous to the applicant. Any contact between the reviewer and the applicant is prohibited; evidence of communication will result in the application's disqualification and the reviewer's dismissal. Each reviewer must disclose any relationships that may prove a potential conflict of interest, including monetary interest, institutional affiliation, and prior knowledge of the applicant. If there is a potential for bias, the reviewer will be recused from reviewing the application. The Subcommittee Chair will have final decision-making authority concerning issues that may arise during the review process.

The review process is as follows:
• Triage: Any application that is not complete per the application guidelines will be dismissed prior to the Subcommittee review process. Applicants who have begun an application submission will be notified two weeks prior to the deadline date if it is incomplete. It is the applicant’s responsibility to upload two (2) reference letters by the deadline. The application submission site will be closed on January 19, 2025, at 11:00 p.m. ET, and no further applications or document uploads will be accepted.
• 1st review: Each application that passes through triage will be submitted to three non-conflicted Subcommittee members for review. Applications will be scored via the criteria listed in the review criteria section below. Each reviewer will also provide subjective comments to be shared with the applicant. The top 10-15 applications will be selected by processing and comparing the mean data of the three scores. In the event of a tie, the subcommittee chair, utilizing the subjective comments provided by the reviewers, will determine the final ranking.
• 2nd review: The top 10-15 applications will be subject to a subcommittee conference meeting. Reviewers will be privy to the scores of each application and defend their comments. After thoroughly reviewing each of the final applications, the applications accepted for the fellowship will be determined by vote count. Applications from the 2nd review will receive in-depth feedback from the subcommittee proceedings along with notification of rejection or an award acceptance letter.
All applications will receive either a rejection or award acceptance letter, including written feedback from the reviewers.
 

REVIEW CRITERIA
When preparing your application, please refer to the following review criteria and carefully address each of the following points. An individual applicant is not expected to fully meet each of these points. Strengths in one particular area will be weighed against potential weaknesses in another (e.g., the inexperience of a mentor can be balanced by a particularly well-thought-out training plan; lack of publications by an applicant can be balanced by a clear plan for achieving an academic career, etc.)
Criteria 1 – Evaluation of the Investigator (one-third of the overall score)
1. Does the applicant have the potential for an academic/clinical career?
2. Is the applicant’s career and training plan clearly and convincingly described?
3. Do the investigator’s history and sponsor/referee assessments support the likelihood of success for the stated career plan?
4. Does the applicant have prior research experience and/or publications?
5. Is there a clear rationale supporting the applicant’s need for additional training?
Criteria 2 – Evaluation of the Sponsor, Training Plan, and Environment (one-third of the overall score)
1. Does either the mentor or a collaborator have published or demonstrated experience with all research methods necessary for the project?
2. Is there evidence that all resources necessary for the proposal’s success are in place and operational prior to the start of the proposal?
3. Does the mentor have the experience necessary to direct the applicant’s training (as evidenced by his/her track record of senior author publications, independent funding, and the success of prior trainees)?
4. Does the mentor have adequate current funding to support the research project?

5. Does the mentor provide a comprehensive training plan that will enhance the applicant’s ability to reach his/her career goals?
6. If collaborators are a part of the proposal, is there written documentation of their support?
Criteria 3 – Evaluation of the Research Proposal (one-third of the overall score)
1. Does the applicant clearly state the hypothesis to be tested in the proposal and the specific aims that will be used to address this hypothesis?
2. Significance: Does the proposed study address a significant problem in cardiac electrophysiology? What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts, methods, and technologies that drive this field?
3. Innovation/novelty: Is the project truly original, or is it a derivative of past studies or publications?
4. Feasibility: Do the application's background information and preliminary data justify the hypothesis? Do the preliminary data and the publication records of the applicant, mentor, and/or collaborators demonstrate competence with all research methods used in the proposal? If clearly acknowledged, applicants can present preliminary data generated by the sponsor or collaborators.
5. Approach: Is the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately developed, well-integrated, well-reasoned, and appropriate to the hypothesis and aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and discuss alternative tactics if problems arise?
 

ACTIVATION AND DURATION OF THE AWARDS
A full-year fellowship is awarded for a period of not less than one year and starts July 1, 2025. Activation dates other than July 1, 2025, must be approved by HRS staff and the fellowship subcommittee chair. An alternative activation date must be requested in a separate letter accompanying the application. Full-year fellowship awards cannot be activated before June 1, 2025, or after November 1, 2025.
 

RENEWAL AND EXTENSION OF FULL-YEAR AWARDS
Fellowship recipients are eligible to apply for competitive renewal of the fellowship, which will provide one additional year of funding. Competitive renewal applications should be accompanied by a 1-page supplement specifically indicating the work accomplished during the previous period of support and clearly showing justification for renewed funding. This supplement is not included in the 4-page limit for the research, and it cannot be used to describe the proposed research. Competitive renewal applicants will not be limited to three cumulative years of post-graduate research experience. HRS funds a maximum of two years only; applications for a third year of funding will not be considered.
 

LOCATION OF THE FELLOWSHIPS
As previously stated, this is an international fellowship opportunity. The same application criteria will consider all applicants and all research will be regulated by the ethical standards and reporting responsibilities set forth below. All written and verbal correspondence must be in English. All funding will be paid in United States Dollars. The applicant must make all necessary arrangements for any fellowship, both with the institution where the research and/or training will occur and with his/her research mentor, who will supervise the recipient’s activities. Such arrangements must be acknowledged by signature from an authorized official of the institution and the research mentor.

ETHICAL STANDARDS
The Heart Rhythm Society requires 1) that any research involving human subjects conform to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association (Clinical Research 1992 Dec; 40 (4): 653-60) and Title 45, US Code of Federal Regulations, Part 46 Protection of Human Subjects, and 2) that any research involving animals will conform to the Guiding Principles in the Care and Use of Animals approved by the Council of the American Physiological Society. The sponsoring institution and the mentor must provide evidence that all investigations engaged in by the fellow are under the institution’s control and its investigational review board or other appropriate body. Documentation of regulatory approval must be provided to the HRS office prior to the release of fellowship funds.
 

REPORTS
According to the NIH Public Access Policy, the results of work carried out by a fellow must be made publicly available through scientific channels. All reports on work supported by the fellowship should acknowledge the Society’s support. An appropriate format for such acknowledgment may be: “This work was performed during Dr. _________’s tenure as the (full name of award) Fellow of the Heart Rhythm Society”. An electronic or paper reprint of each published article should be furnished to the Heart Rhythm Society.
In the year of the award, fellowship awardees will be required to present data from their research at the ‘Research Fellowship Presentations of Research and Awards’ held during the Heart Rhythm Society’s Annual Meeting. In addition, a one-page abstract of the fellowship project must be submitted for distribution at this program.
A final financial report and a report summarizing research progress and accomplishments during the funding period are to be submitted to the Heart Rhythm Society office no later than the last day of support for the fellowship. Failure to submit these reports by this deadline will result in forfeiture of the remaining monies owed.
 

TRANSFERS
If the recipient of a fellowship leaves the site where he/she agreed to perform the fellowship, ceases work with the approved mentor, or ceases to continue the activities for which the award was made, the award will terminate unless alternate arrangements were approved in advance by HRS staff and the chair of the Fellowship Subcommittee.
 

LEAVE OF ABSENCE AND VACATION
A leave of absence will be granted during a full-year fellowship with the prior approval of HRS staff, the chair of the Fellowship Subcommittee, the mentor, and the institution. Vacation for a full-year fellow may be taken per the institution’s policy where the fellowship is being performed but may not exceed 24 of the institution’s scheduled workdays per fellowship year.
 

NOTIFICATION
The Fellowship Subcommittee will review all applications and make award recommendations to the Research Committee of the Heart Rhythm Society. The Heart Rhythm Society will communicate the results by the last week of March 2025.
 

PAYMENTS
Unless otherwise specified, quarterly installments of the full-year fellowship award will be mailed to the sponsoring institution. The final installment is contingent upon receipt of the documentation described in the REPORTS section.