The WTS Brigid Scanlan Traveling Mentorship Award is made possible by Scanlan International, Inc. and provides support for medical students and general surgery residents to gain exposure to women cardiothoracic surgeon mentors by visiting a WTS member for an elective period. This award named in memory of Brigid Scanlan honors her incredible support of women in the cardiothoracic surgery field.

Awards include up to $2,500 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 application process for the WTS Brigid Scanlan Traveling Mentorship Award opens in mid to late November, closes in late December/early January. Interested applicants should apply online, where they will be required to submit the following:

An online application form, including a 250-word essay describing the applicant’s interest in cardiothoracic surgery;
A current version of the applicant’s CV;
A letter of commitment from the WTS mentor the applicant wishes to visit; and
A letter of support from the applicant’s medical school official or residency program director permitting the elective.

The application deadline is Thursday, December 31, 2021, 11:59 p.m. CT.

Review a list of available WTS member mentors.

For questions, please contact Rachel Pebworth, WTS Affiliate Manager, at rpebworth@sts.org.

2019 Award Recipients

Carolyn Dubeau, Medical Student, Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University, North Haven, CT

Carolyn Dubeau, Medical Student, Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University, North Haven, CT

Read about Carolyn Dubeau’s experience with Dr. AJ Carpenter at University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio.

Photo : Award Recipient Dr. Rachel Lewis with Drs. AJ Carpenter and Dawn Hui and other surgeons at UT San Antonio

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

2018 Award Recipients

Photo : Award Recipient Dr. Jessica Hudson with Dr. Betty Tong

Jessica Hudson, MD, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO

Read about Jessica Hudson’s experience with Dr. Betty Tong at Duke University.

Photo : Dr. Romano with Stephanie Nguyen

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.

2017 Award Recipients

Award Recipient Dr. Jessica Hudson with Dr. Betty Tong

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.

2016 Award Recipients

Photo : Award recipient Dr. Kyla Joubert operating with mentor Dr. Mara Antonoff

Kyla Joubert, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR

Read about Dr. Kyla Joubert’s experience in Houston, TX, visiting Dr. Mara Antonoff at the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center.

2015 Award Recipients

Laura Seese, University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, Irvine, CA

Amanda Stram, MD, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN

Laura Seese completed her elective to visit Dr. Kathleen Fenton in February-March 2015. View a video montage with photos from Laura’s trip to visit Dr. Fenton in Central America.

2014 Award Recipients

Photo : Sarah Schubert, 2014 Scanlan/WTS Traveling Mentorship Award recipient

Meghan Halub, MD, Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Des Moines, IA

Meghan Halub completed her elective, also to visit Dr. Jennifer Lawton in the Spring/Summer of 2014. Read Meghan’s summary of her experience.

Photo : Dr. Jennifer Lawton and Dr. Meghan Halub, 2014 Scanlan/WTS Traveling Mentorship Award Recipient

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.

2013 Award Recipients

Photo : Dr. Jennifer Lawton and Dr. Meghan Halub, 2014 Scanlan/WTS Traveling Mentorship Award Recipient

Puja Kachroo, MD, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

Laura Trujllo completed her elective in March 2013. Laura traveled to Boston and spent two weeks with Dr. Yolonda Colson at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. Read Dr. Kachroo’s summary of her experience.

Laura Trujillo, Mayo Medical School

Laura Trujllo completed her elective in March 2013. Laura traveled to Boston and spent two weeks with Dr. Yolonda Colson at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. Read Laura’s summary of her experience.