AAOS/OREF Traveling Fellowship Program (TFP)
The AAOS/OREF Traveling Fellowship Program (TFP) seeks to expose early career orthopaedic clinician scientists to established orthopaedic clinician scientists, promote professional relationships between early career and established clinician scientists, and provide opportunities for active mentoring of early career clinician scientists.
Two applicants are selected annually to receive up to a $10,000 grant to cover the travel expenses of visiting mentors of their choosing. Applicants complete a detailed online submission, including a proposed budget and an itinerary of trips to visit mentors. Recipients have one calendar year to complete their trips. The program is open to AAOS Candidate Members and Active Fellows.
Project History
Orthopaedic clinician scientists continue to generate significant contributions to the field of orthopaedics. Unfortunately, due to a variety of factors at play in the healthcare environment, the number of clinician scientists has been on the decline in recent years. The decline in the numbers of both active clinician scientists and those entering this career path has long been of concern to the Academy. As a means of confronting this issue, the Academy created the Clinician Scientist Programs Committee (CSPC), now under the auspices of the Council on Research, Quality Assessment and Technology. As a result of reorganization efforts, the CSPC merged with the Research Committee to form the Research Development Committee (RDC). The RDC works closely with the Orthopaedic Research and Education (OREF) and the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) on the CSDP.
The RDC is charged with developing pathways that facilitate careers for orthopaedic clinician scientists. The committee, along with OREF and ORS, provide a continuum of training and a variety of opportunities for current and future clinician scientists.
As the RDC progresses in its efforts, it aims to partner with others to develop a cadre of orthopaedic clinician scientists who will lead the research efforts to find new methodologies to treat and cure orthopaedic related illnesses and injuries. The AAOS/OREF/ORS Clinician Scientist Development Program is a first step in the career path for clinician scientists. Completion of this program is likely to lead to participation in the TFP and OREF and NIH-sponsored research grants and programs. This program offers the orthopaedic profession a new source of clinician scientists engaged in research that advances orthopaedic surgery and musculoskeletal medicine.
AAOS/OREF Traveling Fellowship Program Recipients
Additional Resources
- Clinician Scientist Career Development Timeline
(Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation Online) - NIH Career Development Awards
- Information on Orthopaedic Specialty Society Grant Opportunities
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