The Application Portal for the ATS 2024 BEAR Cage Competition has closed. Please see below for last year’s finalists.
We invite you to join us for the live competition in San Diego, CA.
The BEAR Cage (Building Education to Advance Research) Competition is hosted annually by the Drug, Device, Discovery, and Development (DDDD) Committee. The program is open to early-stage investigators with highly innovative, translational, human-focused research proposals. The top three submissions are chosen by the DDDD Committee and the finalists are invited to pitch their proposals to a panel of translational science experts representing academia, industry, and governmental sectors in front of a live audience at the ATS International Conference.
The panel, with audience participation, will “vet” these proposals with each presenter, providing a unique “shark-tank” like learning environment that fuels real-time feedback and propels the strategic thinking required for these novel ideas to become innovations. After each presentation, the live panel and audience will have sufficient time to ask questions to each of the top three contestants. Ultimately, the panel will award one grand prize winner a $10,000 prize and the two runner-up proposals $2,500 each.
For any questions about the application process or the competition for ATS 2024, please send an email to dddd@thoracic.org.
ATS 2023 BEAR Cage Competition
The 2023 BEAR Cage event was well received and attended. Congratulations to 2023 BEAR Cage winner, Dr. Nandy and the other finalists, all receiving cash prizes as well as mentorship for the next year.
Sreyankar Nandy, PhD
Instructor - Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine - Massachusetts General Hospital
“Endobronchial Optical Coherence Tomography (EB-OCT): A Novel Imaging Technique for Early Microscopic Diagnosis and Monitoring of Interstitial Lung Disease”
Sreyankar Nandy, PhD presenting his winning proposal at the 2023 BEAR Cage
Marco Almeda, MD
Combined Pediatric Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine Fellowship Riley Hospital for Children and IU Associated Hospitals
“A novel technology for measurement of pediatric aspiration"
Ananth Charya, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Transplant Pulmonology - University of Maryland of Medicine
“PERsonalized Monitoring of Immunosuppression in Transplantation (PERMIT) Study”
BEAR Cage judges Michaela Anderson, MD, Fabien Maldonado, MD, Kathryn Hibbert, MD (left) with finalists, Marco Almeda, MD, Sreyankar Nandy, PhD, and Ananth Charya, MD (middle), and BEAR Cage co-chairs, Nina Patel, MD and Josh Fessel, MD (right)
Audience members watch on during 2023 BEAR Cage Competition
