TSRA TEACHING AWARDS:
The TSRA is proud to recognize faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to cardiothoracic surgery education through two awards given annually:
• The Socrates Award is an annual award presented to a mid-to-late career surgical educator who has demonstrated a significant commitment to excellence in resident education throughout their careers.
• The McGoon Award is presented to a junior faculty member (within the first 10 years of career) who is a champion of cardiothoracic surgical resident training inside and outside of the operating room, such as through academic or societal efforts.

These awards represent the sincere appreciation of the TSRA on behalf of all cardiothoracic surgery trainees for the exemplary contributions of these individuals and hope that they may serve to further motivate surgical educators in our field. Please send nominations with a letter of support to Anna Olds, TSRA VP (anna.olds@med.usc.edu) by December 1, 2023. Nominations will only be accepted from current trainees.

Awards are announced at the STS annual meeting.

TSRA TRAVEL AWARDS:
The TSRA also has two travel award opportunities for current trainees:

• TSRA/STS Global Outreach Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery
• TSRA/STS Traveling Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery

The deadline to apply is December 1, 2023.

To submit an application, or for more information, please email Anna Olds, TSRA VP (anna.olds@med.usc.edu) no later than December 1, 2023. Awardees will be notified by January 15, 2024 and announced at the STS annual meeting in Jan 2024.

For those interested, more information about the travel awards can be found below

2024 TSRA/STS Global Outreach Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery
The TSRA & STS have partnered together to offer a Global Outreach Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery. This 1-2 week Fellowship will expand training beyond U.S. borders while cultivating international relationships between faculty members and trainees. Through immersive mentorship, the fellow will gain invaluable experience in global surgery planning, implementation, and practice. Awardees will receive up to $5,000 to help offset expenses including travel, housing, and any additional ancillary costs.

Applicants will be required to pre-select a trip location and specialty (cardiac, thoracic, or congenital), and explain their interest for that specific location and the merits of the particular trip. Trip host faculty are required to be an STS member and support the fellowship applicant. Ideas for some potential trips can be found here: https://www.ctsnet.org/surgical-volunteerism

Applicants must submit the following in a single PDF: a curriculum vitae, a letter of support from their program director, and a letter of support from the host faculty. The applicant must also submit a personal statement explaining how he/she would use the fellowship to his/her educational betterment (200 word limit). Previous winners can be found on our website: https://www.tsranet.org/education/tsra-fellowships/tsrasts-global-outreach-fellowship/

Eligibility:
• Must be a TSRA member (i.e., U.S. cardiothoracic surgery resident enrolled at an ACGME-accredited program).• Must be a STS Resident/Fellow member.
• Must be a surgical mission led by an STS member who supports the applicant’s participation on the mission. A letter of support from the trip faculty member is required. The letter of support from the trip faculty member must outline the expectations and role of the resident on the trip.
• Must have program director approval for resident/fellow availability (a letter of support from the resident’s program director is required).
• Participant must be from a different program from the trip attending(s).

2024 TSRA/STS Traveling Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery
This annual fellowship funds one recipient for a one-week traveling observership to a host institution within North America with a host faculty member.
The program’s goals and objectives are to:
• Augment the fellowship recipient training experience in cardiothoracic surgery by providing an opportunity to gain unique exposure to specialized areas of cardiothoracic surgery;
• Facilitate the development of unique mentoring relationships between fellowship recipient and host faculty;
• Facilitate early career direction and development; and
• Recognize excellence in cardiothoracic surgery training.

The host faculty member will be selected by the applicant and should have institutional support to host an awardee for a one-week experience. In addition, the applicant can also propose a faculty who has a niche practice of interest. The host faculty member and institution will commit to providing a personal and individualized experience for the awardee with emphasis on a particular area of the specialty for which they are well-recognized within the field of cardiothoracic surgery, such as minimally invasive surgery, robotics, TAVR, complex aortic repair, and congenital cardiac surgery. In addition to providing the surgical experience, it will be highly encouraged for the host faculty to engage the awardee in other mentored activities (i.e., conferences, preoperative planning opportunities, luncheons, other faculty introductions, etc.) to augment the fellowship experience. Previous winners can be found on our website: https://www.tsranet.org/education/tsra-fellowships/tsra-traveling-fellowship/

Completed applications must include the following in a single PDF: Personal statement (200-word limit) indicating how the applicant would plan to use the fellowship to his/her educational betterment; Letter of support from the applicant’s Program Director; Curriculum vitae. A letter of support from the host faculty is encouraged but not required.