Awards include up to $3,500 towards travel-related expenses including room and board for the designated travel elective. Applicants are responsible for contacting potential mentors and securing arrangements prior to submitting an application.

Please note that previous recipients of the WTS Brigid Scanlan Traveling Mentorship Award, formerly named the Scanlan/WTS Traveling Mentorship Award, are not eligible to apply.

The 2025 WTS Brigid Scanlan Traveling Mentorship Award application process opened November 19, 2024, and will close December 18, 2024. 

Interested applicants will be required to submit the following application materials here.

1. Application Form which includes a 250-word essay describing the applicant’s interest in cardiothoracic surgery;
2. A current version of the applicant’s CV;
3. A letter of commitment from the WTS mentor the applicant wishes to visit; and
4. A letter of support from the applicant’s medical school official or residency program director permitting the elective.

To be eligible for an award, applicants must be a U.S. medical student or general surgery resident at a U.S. institution.

The application deadline is Wednesday, December 18, 2024,  11:59 p.m. PST.

Review a list of available WTS member mentors.

Application Form

For questions, please contact help@wtsnet.org.

 

Rajika Jindani, General Surgery Resident, UMontefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Rajika is a General Surgery resident at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where she has completed 2 years of surgical training. She is currently in her dedicated research time in the laboratory of Dr. Brendon Stiles, where she is studying the tumor microenvironment in relation to lung cancer metastasis, as well as possible therapeutic targets for EGFR mutated cancers. She hopes to specialize in Thoracic Oncology and is passionate about health and gender disparities research. She will be mentored by Dr. Mara Antonoff, Associate Professor and Program Director of Education at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

Kelly Benck, Medical Student, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Kelly Benck is a 3rd year medical student at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in the MD/MPH program. Originally from Northern California, her draw to cardiothoracic surgery came from her love of working with her hands and interest in cardiology. This scholarship opportunity will allow her to work with Dr. Sara Pereira at the University of Utah. Kelley hopes to not only gain surgical experience in the fields of structural, transplant, and congenital cardiac surgery, but also gain mentorship under an accomplished female surgeon to build her skills in leadership and compassion.

Irina Kolesnik, Medical Student, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD

Irina is a 3rd year medical student and her interest in cardiothoracic surgery has grown due to her mentors she has had along the way. Dr. Carpenter’s scope of practice is extensive and well known. In this once in a lifetime opportunity, Irina hopes to spend her days observing and participating in as many OR cases as possible, rounding in the ICU and discussing the treatment plans of all the patients.

She believes that this opportunity with Dr. Carpenter will not only further her love for CTS, but immensely influence her future in cardiothoracic surgery while allowing her to learn from one of the most inspiring female cardiac surgeons of our time.

Lise Tchouta, Surgery Resident, Columbia University

Lise is a general surgery resident at Columbia University where she completed her first 3 years of training. She has completed one year of ECMO research fellowship with Dr Robert Bartlett and one year of surgical critical care fellowship at the University of Michigan before returning to Columbia. Lise received her medical degree from Yale University in 2016. She is also an MPH candidate at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr Betty Tong and Dr Brittany Zwischenberger at Duke University will be working with Lise.

Jackie Olive, Cardiothoracic Surgery Resident, Baylor College of Medicine, Duke University

Jackie is a first-year integrated cardiothoracic surgery resident at Duke University and recent graduate of Baylor College of Medicine (class of 2021). She will be working with Dr. Leah Backhus at Stanford University.

Rachel Lewis, MD, University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, Knoxville, TN

Read about Rachel Lewis’s experience with Dr AJ Carpenter at University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio

Stephanie Nguyen, Medical Student, University of TX Health Sciences Center at Houston

Read about Stephanie Nguyen’s experience with Dr. Jennifer Romano at University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital.

Brittany Potz, MD, Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, RI

 

Rosalie Sterner, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

Read about Rosalie Sterner’s experience with Dr. Jennifer Lawton in Baltimore, MD.

Robin Boyer, Ross University School of Medicine

Robin Boyer describes her opportunity to visit LA Children’s under the mentorship of Dr. Cindy Herrington.

Sarah Schubert, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA

Sarah Schubert completed her elective to visit Dr. Jennifer Lawton in April 2014. Read Sarah’s summary of her experience.