This award is named for Yolonda L. Colson, MD, PhD, past president of Women in Thoracic Surgery (2010-2012), and recently served as the first woman and 103rd president of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery.
Dr. Colson is the Chief for the Division of Thoracic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, the Hermes C. Grillo Professor in the Field of Thoracic Surgery, and Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. Her clinical interests are aimed at improving early detection, access to curative treatment options, and development of novel therapeutic approaches to lung cancer, particularly in women. Her research focuses on the development of unique mechanisms of polymer and nanoparticle drug delivery to prevent cancer recurrence, and the investigation of novel methods to identify occult lymph node metastases in lung cancer. She is co-inventor on three awarded patents and has received more than twenty foundation grants, including the AATS Alton Ochsner Research Scholarship, and seven R01 grants from the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.
This award allows a woman in medical school or surgical training in the U.S. with an interest in cardiothoracic surgery the opportunity to attend the AATS 105th Annual Meeting and the WTS 2nd Annual Conference, and to be mentored throughout both meetings by a WTS/AATS member. In addition, women postdoctoral candidates in a research or other gap year who have graduated medical school in the U.S. and are committed to cardiothoracic surgery, are eligible to apply.
The AATS meeting is widely recognized as one of the most coveted national meetings in cardiothoracic surgery. The meeting’s format and location provide a strong academic program and unique opportunities for social interaction and relationship building.
The application process for the 2025 WTS Colson Scholarship will open January 31, 2025, and will close March 2, 2025.
Interested applicants will be required to submit the following application materials here.
-
-
- Application form which includes a 250 word maximum essay question response
- Current CV
- Letter of support from the applicant’s medical school official or residency program director permitting participation (Letter of support must reference the name of the applicant)
- Letter of recommendation from an WTS Active member (it is the applicant’s responsibility to confirm membership)
-
The submission deadline for applications is March 2, 2025, 11:59 p.m. PDT.
Contact WTS Headquarters at help@wtsnet.org with questions. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
