ACS Faculty Research Fellowships

Fellowship Timeline: July 2025–June 2027

The American College of Surgeons is offering two-year faculty research fellowships, through the generosity of Fellows, Chapters, and friends of the College, to surgeons entering academic careers in surgery or a surgical specialty. The fellowship is to assist a surgeon in the establishment of their research program under mentorship with the goal of transitioning to becoming an independent investigator. Applicants should have demonstrated their potential to work as independent investigators. The fellowship award is $40,000 per year for each of two years, to support the research.

Franklin H. Martin, MD, FACS, Faculty Research Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons

This fellowship honors Franklin H. Martin, MD, FACS, founder of the American College of Surgeons.

C. James Carrico, MD, FACS, Faculty Research Fellowship for the Study of Trauma and Critical Care

This fellowship honors C. James Carrico, MD, FACS, and is designated for research in trauma and critical care.

Basic Requirements

The fellowship is open to Fellows or Associate Fellows of the College who have: (1) completed the chief residency year or accredited fellowship training within the preceding five years, not including time off for maternity leave, military deployment, or medical leave; and (2) received a full-time faculty appointment in a department of surgery or a surgical specialty at a medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education in the United States or by the Committee for Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools in Canada. Preference will be given to applicants who directly enter academic surgery following residency or fellowship.
This award may be used by the recipient for support of his/her research or academic enrichment in any fashion that the recipient deems maximally supportive of his/her investigations. The fellowship grant is to support the research of the recipient. Indirect costs are not paid to the recipient or to the recipient’s institution.
Application for this fellowship may be submitted even if comparable application has been made to organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or industry sources. If the recipient is offered a scholarship, fellowship, or research career development award from such an agency or organization, it is the responsibility of the recipient to contact the College’s Scholarships Administrator to request approval of the additional award.
The Scholarship Committee reserves the right to review potentially overlapping awards and adjust its award accordingly
Applicants who have previously won an award over $25,000 from another professional society or NIH are not eligible for this fellowship. Intramural K awards are permitted.
Supporting letters from the head of the department of surgery (or the surgical specialty) and from the mentor supervising the applicant’s research effort must be submitted. This approval would involve a commitment to continuation of the academic position and of facilities for research. Only in exceptional circumstances will more than one fellowship be granted in a single year to applicants from the same institution.
The applicant must submit a research plan up to five pages, excluding references, and budget for the two-year period of fellowship, even though renewed approval by the Scholarships Committee of the College is required for the second year.
A minimum of 50 percent of the Fellow’s time must be spent in the research proposed in the application. This percentage may run concurrently with the time requirements of NIH or other accepted funding.
The Faculty Research Fellows are expected to attend the Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons in 2023 to present a report and receive a certificate at the annual meeting of the Scholarships Committee.

Award Obligation

The fellowship is $80,000 over two years (i.e., $40,000 per year) and may be for support of the applicant’s research or academic enrichment as the recipient deems maximally supportive of his/her investigations. The fellowship grant is to support the research of the recipient; indirect costs are not paid to the recipient or to the recipient’s institution.
The scholarship is awarded for two years, and acceptance of it requires commitment for the two-year period in full-time research.
Before receiving the second year of funding, a narrative and financial progress report must be approved by the ACS Scholarships Committee.
The scholar must attend the Clinical Congress in of the last year of the award to present an oral report on the research as part of the Scientific Forum, and to receive a certificate at the annual meeting of the Scholarships Committee.

We will be accepting applications for the 2026-2028 award in September 2025.

Additional documents and questions are to be directed to the Scholarships Administrator: scholarships@facs.org or Scholarships Administrator, American College of Surgeons, 633 N. Saint Clair St., Chicago, IL 60611-3295.