Resident/Fellow Travel Award Criteria

It is recognized that during the course of postgraduate training, residents and fellows benefit from participating in conferences and meetings which allow them to better achieve their academic mission and individual career goals.  Participation at such meetings often involves travel.  All postgraduate training programs have some resources available to support resident/fellow travel; however, these funds may often be inadequate to support the total costs associated with resident/fellow travel and not provide opportunities for residents/fellows to pursue non-medical expert roles.  The Resident/Fellow Travel Award has been developed by Western and the hospitals to supplement what is currently provided by the training programs.

Awards                

Awards of up to $2,000.00 each (reimbursement upon submission of receipts) with a maximum $34,000 awarded annually. One award (maximum $2,000) will be given to applications for a leadership development opportunity (e.g. leadership seminars, management workshops). Consideration for this award will be given to residents/fellows having demonstrated interest and capacity in leadership. Examples include positions as Chief Resident, PARO representative, or as a member of another committee. Consideration will only be given to residents who are travelling to contribute to a meeting and no longer for just attending. Applications to fund electives or specialty specific “medical expert” courses will not be considered. Courses or seminars supporting the other CanMEDS roles or the four principles of Family Medicine will be viewed favourably.

Application

Applications will only be considered upon completion of conference/meeting. If the conference/meeting occurs after the application deadline, you must wait for the next application period to apply.

All applications must be saved as A SINGLE .PDF and emailed to: Postgraduate.medicine@schulich.uwo.ca

Applications (up to one page) must be addressed to the Awards Committee and include an outline of the proposed travel using the following headings:

  1. objectives of attending the meeting/course (e.g. enhancement of resident/ fellow's ability in one of the following: clinical ability, research, teaching, administration, or leadership.);
  2. time line - dates of intended conference or meeting;
  3. expected benefits - relevance to program training and/or career aspirations;
  4. budget detailing associated direct costs (e.g. registration fee, travel, accommodation).  Please include all registration fee, accommodation and flight receipts with your application.  The receipts must show proof of payment being received, and flight itinerary must be included.  Original receipts for meals, taxi's, parking, etc...will be required, but will be requested at a later date should they be needed.

The application must include a maximum two-page summary CV highlighting information relevant to the support of the application. Additionally required is a Program Director Recommendation Form to be completed by the Residency Program Director. Availability of matching funds from the department or other sources must be mentioned. Although there is no limit to the number of awards per program, in order for the application to be considered the Program Director must indicate the priority if there is more than one applicant from the program.

Please provide a copy of your abstract or meeting presentation, if applicable, with documentation of acceptance and a website address. For the adjudication process, the PGME Office requires a confirmation of paper acceptance or any change in status of the application following submission.  Please indicate the type of application being submitted: oral podium presentation, oral poster presentation, poster presentation, other (please explain in application).  The conference or meeting must have occurred within 12 months of the application deadline to be eligible for the award. For the April award, the conference must have occurred between the previous May 1 to April 30 of the application year. For the October award, the conference must have occurred between the previous November 1 to October 31 of the application year. 

Preference will be given to the following:

  1. work which has received awards for the conference attended
  2. first-authored work
  3. oral presentations over posters (in general)

Competitions: Competitions are held twice per academic year. Deadline for submission of applications are April 30 and October 31.  **Applicants are eligible to receive this award once per academic year**

Adjudication: By the PGME Awards Selection Committee. The Committee consists of:

  • Associate Dean, Postgraduate Education or designate, Chair
  • Three Postgraduate Program Directors
  • Three Resident or Fellow representatives
  • One staff member from PGME Office
  • Vice-President, City-Wide Medical Affairs or designate