The Underrepresented Trainee Development Scholarships is designed to help increase diversity of underrepresented trainees in medicine, to attend the ATS International Conference. UTDS awardees will receive a certificate of achievement, free registration to the ATS International Conference and 1 free year of ATS membership. They will also be honored during the Diversity Forum.

• The Underrepresented Trainee Development Scholarship (UTDS) supports early-career individuals who have faced challenges and obstacles to entry and advancement in medicine, research, and academic health professions. The program focuses on fostering opportunities for trainees from backgrounds with limited representation in these health care fields. We strongly encourage applications from first-generation college graduates, those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, individuals who identify as women, people with disabilities, and others whose lived experiences reflect limited access to advancement opportunities. Through this scholarship, we aim to build a more inclusive, representative, and supportive professional community that reflects the diversity of the populations we serve.
• The applicant must be the first author on an abstract accepted for presentation at the ATS International Conference.
• Case Reports will not be accepted.
• Applicant must be a current trainee, at any stage of training from high school through post-doctoral fellow, at an institution in the United States.  They cannot be a research assistant or laboratory technician unless CURRENTLY enrolled in a training program.
• For PhD applicants, ONLY postdocs (with 5 or fewer years of training) are eligible.

VERY IMPORTANT:
If selected for this award, applicants will be notified of what additional documents need to be submitted to complete the award process.

• The application for the 2025 Underrepresented Trainee Development Scholarships is now closed.
• Applicant must submit the following to be considered for the award:
  • Completed online application form.
  • A letter of support from research mentor indicating:
    • The contribution of the applicant to the research project (basic science, clinical or translational research)
    • The impact of the award on the applicant
    • The leadership potential of the applicant
  • A copy of the abstract accepted for presentation at the ATS International Conference

• The applications are scored on the following:
  • Quality of the science
  • Leadership potential of the applicant
  • Strength of the letter - applicants and mentors should be aware that this letter carries significant weight with the committee reviewing UTDS applications. Letter should address at a minimum:
    • role of the applicant in the project
    • leadership potential
    • how this award would benefit the applicant
  • In some instances, the mentor’s letter can be the sole difference in whether an applicant does or does not receive an award.
  • Applicants will be notified by early April concerning the outcome of their application.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Liz Guzman at lguzman@thoracic.org.