GRANT FOR INR OBSERVERS COMING FROM LOW AND LOWER-MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES
The World Federation of Interventional and Therapeutic Neuroradiology (WFITN) is an international organization for promoting all aspects of neurointervention worldwide.
The need for neurointervention, particularly acute stroke intervention, in low and many lower-middle-income countries is vast. This is due to shortage of training opportunities, financial support, and infrastructure. The WFITN would like to facilitate and increase neurointerventional exposure by providing educational opportunities for interested physicians.
Upon the request of the Educational Committee and the endowment board of the WFITN has created a grant for physicians working in areas of low and lower-middle income. This grant will support these physicians in their quest to becoming trained specialists in all aspects of neurointervention or in acute stroke intervention (ASI).
The aim is to enable a physician visit to a neurointerventional unit as an observer for a period of 2-4 months. Suitable sites will be recognized by the WFITN based on expertise and caseload.
The WFITN will mediate contact with appropriate neurointerventional units by providing an online list of centers accepting observers. However, the trainee will be expected to directly contact the site, organize the visit, and make all practical arrangements. The trainee may suggest a center other than those on the list, with the proposal subject to approval of the Educational Committee.
Centers interested to host trainees please apply to the Educational Committee at secretary [at] wfitn.org.
Support from the WFITN Endowment Fund will only be financial.
This grant was made possible by the generous support of both industry and individual donors.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Grantee prerequisites
- Works in an area of low, lower-middle or middle income (according to the 2018 World Bank classification) with priority to applicants from low and lower middle-income countries.
- Be a certified neurosurgeon, neurologist or radiologist.
- Currently training/intending as a young neuro-interventional specialist (within the first 10 years of neurointerventional practice).
- Has sufficient knowledge of the English language or of the language spoken at the observed neurointerventional unit.
Prerequisites from Grantee’s home institution/hospital
- There must be a department of neurology or stroke medicine
- There must be a department of neurosurgery
- There must be an intensive care unit
- There must be an angiography suite
Follow up
- The grantee is expected to write a short report to be published on the WFITN website, preferably with a few photos.
- For observerships longer than 2 months, the grantee is expected to write a scientific article (at least a case report) during his/her visit to the host institution. It should be submitted to the “Interventional Neuroradiology” journal upon completion of the observership period. If published, the grant will be acknowledged in the publication.
Financial aspects of grant
The grantee will receive:
- Travel (economy class) grant of up to 1500€ (distributed when the grantee has a travel plan approved by the WFITN endowment board), and expenses of up to 2000€ per month (first month distributed at same time as travel expenses. Additional months distributed when the endowment board receives the confirmation notice (email) from the hosting institution that the physician has arrived on site, and receives receipts for the flight ticket and first month expenses).
- The grantee will submit an estimated budget plan – included in the application form.
- The grantee will need to provide receipts for all travel (economy class), housing and all other expenses. Receipts should be submitted after the first part of the grant (travel grant and first month’s grant) has been received and used for bookings.
Application must include
- Support letter from the applicant’s supervisor (such as head of current training program, head of department, hospital board)
- Invitation letter from the inviting observership site.
- Personal letter outlining the purpose and the proposed dates of the visit
- Applicant’s CV
Approval process:
- The WFITN Education Committee will review the applications with regard to completeness.
- An application endorsed by the Educational Committee will be presented to the WFITN Endowment Fund board for final approval during the following WFITN Endowment Fund board meeting.
- The number of grants per year depends on the available funds in the WFITN Endowment Fund.
- Applications are welcome at any time during the year.
PLEASE NOTE: We are accepting in general applications for 2024 depending on the available funds.