2015 NSTC Travel Grant Application

The National Society of Tuberculosis Clinicians (NSTC), an affiliate of the National TB Controllers Association (NTCA), is pleased to announce the availability of travel grants to the NSTC Annual Meeting on June 8, 2015 and the National TB Conference (NTC), June 9-11, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Purpose: The purpose of the NSTC travel grants is to provide financial support for clinicians in training who are interested in TB who otherwise would not be able to attend the NSTC Annual Meeting. This opportunity, at an early stage of one’s professional career, could generate enthusiasm and continued interest in the field and may provide a lifetime commitment to working in public health and TB.

Eligibility:

Eligibility for the travel grant includes the following:

• Status as one of the following:
  Student candidate for the degree of MD, PA, DO, NP, or MPH (as an additional degree); or
  Current Resident in Medicine, Pediatrics, Medicine and Pediatrics, Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, or Preventive Medicine;
  Fellow Adult or Pediatric Infectious Diseases or Pulmonary Medicine; or
  Clinical faculty who have completed a post-graduate training program within the last 5 years; or who have been working in the field of tuberculosis for less than 5 years;
• Currently working/studying in the U.S. or one of the U.S. territories;
• A strong interest and preferably some experience in any aspect of TB and public health;
• Completion of the 2015 NSTC Travel Grant Application; and
• Submission of a letter (required) from their dean, department head, supervisor, or principal investigator indicating: support of the clinician’s participation in the conference; permission to attend; statement explaining how attending the conference will benefit the individual and the program; statement that no other funding is available for the applicant's travel. Letter may be submitted separately but is also due by April 10, 2015.

Submission of an abstract for the 2015 National TB Conference is encouraged but not required. To learn more about submitting an abstract, go to http://www.tbcontrollers.org/events-trainings/annual-tb-conference/.

Travel Grant Specifics:
The travel grant provides reimbursement for expenses up to $800 to Atlanta for the NSTC annual meeting on June 8, 2015. In addition to these funds, the following is included:

• Waived registration fee for the 2015 National TB Conference – $450 benefit
• Complimentary one-year membership in the NTCA/NSTC -- $55 benefit
• Opportunity to network and meet TB scholars, clinicians and program staff

Recipients will be reimbursed upon submission of a reimbursement request form and receipts for their travel expenses following the meeting.

Application:
Applications and letters of support are due no later than April 10, 2015. The application and letter of support should be submitted electronically using this form. The letter of support may be submitted separately by email to NTCA staff at ntca@tbcontrollers.org.

Applicants will be notified of their status no later than April 21, 2015.

Recipients who actually attend the NSTC annual meeting will be reimbursed for expenses up to $800, upon submission of a reimbursement request form and receipts for their travel expenses, no later than June 17, 2015.

Scoring Criteria:
Applications will be scored based on the following criteria. Travel grants will be awarded based solely on their score until the available funding is utilized.

1. Currently working in, or recent experience working in, a public health program or research project relevant to US TB control: 0-4 points
2. Strength of application, demonstrating interest in TB and public health and how attendance will advance work: 0-6 points
3. Strength of letter of support: 0-4 points
4. 2015 NTC Abstract Submission: 0-2 points
5. Publication in peer reviewed journals of original research on any aspect of TB: 0-2 points
6. MPH or equivalent degree: 0-2 points

The total possible score ranges from 0 to 20 points.