Emerging Liver Scholars Program
Application Deadline
Award Term
One Year
Award Type
Travel
Career Development
Career Level
Residents
Meeting Dates: November 7-11, 2025
Meeting Location: Washington DC
View the 2025 Request For Applications [PDF].
Overview
The AASLD Foundation Emerging Liver Scholars (ELS) program provides medical residents the opportunity to explore hepatology as a career through educational and professional development programming, learning directly from leaders in the field, and networking with hepatology KOLs and peers from around the globe.
Selected Scholars for this highly competitive program receive complimentary registration and travel support to attend The Liver Meeting®, where they will participate in exclusive networking and educational events while also having full access to all scientific programming the meeting has to offer. During their award year, Scholars will also receive complimentary AASLD membership, subscriptions to AASLD journals, and be able to participate in special virtual professional development activities led by AASLD / AASLD Foundation leadership.
On This Page
Award Details
Award Period: July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026
- AASLD Foundation will fully cover the awardees’ round-trip economy/coach class air or rail fare to the meeting city and back, up to 5 nights hotel within a designated program participant housing block, and registration to The Liver Meeting.
- Awardees will receive a stipend of $400 to defray costs for meals not provided during the meeting and other incidental expenses.
- Awardees will receive one year of complimentary AASLD trainee membership and digital subscriptions to AASLD journals.
- Funding notifications for the 2025 cycle will be sent no later than June 30, 2025.
NAMED AWARDS
The following named awards of distinction for highly-meritorious candidates are made possible through the generous support of donors committed to inspiring the next generation of hepatology leaders.
Guadalupe Garcia-Tsao Emerging Liver Scholar Award
Bruce A. Luxon Emerging Liver Scholar Award
Raymond T. Chung Emerging Liver Scholar Award
Participant Expectations
During their one-year award term, selected scholars will be responsible for meeting all program and reporting requirements. Please refer to the program RFA for details.
During the Liver Meeting
- Commit to attend for the duration of the meeting (Thursday – Tuesday)
- Commit to attend all required ELS program special events during the meeting
- Allow your mentor to guide you throughout the program and be open to suggestions about programming and attendance at certain
- Check in daily with your mentor
Throughout the program year
- Provide for two-way communication and regular follow-up with your mentor
- Regularly participate in virtual career development activities for ELS program participants
Following your ELS year
- Respond to an annual program outcomes survey for up to five years
- Serve as a resource to your colleagues by informing them about your experience at The Liver Meeting®
Mentor Expectations
- You will be expected to guide the resident throughout the program, both during The Liver Meeting® and following the meeting.
- During the meeting, attend all Emerging Liver Scholar functions when required; check in with the resident daily during the meeting; and share your knowledge, understanding and experiences in the field of hepatology.
- After the meeting, help facilitate career development through guidance and advice; provide for two-way communication; and be the champion of the resident.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible for this program, the applicant must adhere to the following guidelines:
Applicant Requirements:
- The applicant must be in an Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Med-Peds, Pathology, Radiology, or Surgery residency program in the US, Canada, or Mexico. The eligibility window for each residency type is as follows:
- Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Pathology, Radiology: PGY 1-2, PGY 3 only if completing a PGY4 as Chief Medical Resident
- Med-Peds: PGY 1-3
- Surgery: PGY 1-4
- They must be interested in choosing adult or pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology, hepatopathology, surgery, or GI radiology with an emphasis on hepatobiliary imaging as their career focus.
- Applicants must have a mentor who is active in hepatology and who is an AASLD member in good standing.
- Candidates do not need to be an AASLD Member to apply for this program.
- Previous participants of the Emerging Liver Scholar program are not eligible to apply again. Previous applicants who were not selected are encouraged to re-apply if they continue to meet eligibility criteria.
Mentor & Institution Requirements:
- The mentor must be active in hepatology and be an AASLD member in good standing
- Each mentor may support up to two applicants per year.
- Two mentors may act as co-mentors for one ELS applicant, if appropriate.
- There is no limit to the number of applications that will be accepted per institution, but only one candidate may be selected per distinct residency program at a single institution (i.e., one resident from the internal medicine program and one from the pediatric program at the same institution may be selected, but two internal medicine residents at the same institution will not be selected in the same program year, even if they are in different PG years).
Selection Criteria
Applications for this highly competitive program will be evaluated on the candidate’s potential for a career in academic medicine, including their background and demonstration of:
- Highly developed interpersonal skills
- Motivation, self-direction, and personal integrity
- Leadership ability and activities
- Scholarly activity and research productivity
Individuals who practice in underserved communities or identify as part of a systemically marginalized group in medicine that has historically faced barriers due to factors such as their race, ethnicity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, or socioeconomic status (e.g., first-generation college graduate, from low-income communities, etc.) are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information, please see:
- Racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in medicine, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds: NOT-OD-20-031
- Sexual & gender minority (SGM) populations: NOT-OD-19-139
To promote health equity, increase patient access in medically underserved communities, and support increased diversity in the hepatology workforce, each year a minimum of 30% of available awards will be reserved for applicants who are practicing in federally designated health professional shortage areas, employed at Minority-Serving Institutions (MSI) for groups underrepresented in medicine, or who identify as a member of a group underrepresented in medicine.
How to Apply
The application deadline for this award is 11:59 pm Eastern time, April 15, 2025. Applications received after the deadline will not be reviewed.
- Download the 2025 RFA and prepare all components listed in the required documents section. Type responses where prompted and provide all requested signatures.
- Prepare your final application as a flattened, single PDF (no portfolios). PDFs cannot be locked or have any password protection. Applications that do not meet the requirements, in content or format, will not be reviewed.
- Assemble your application in the order listed in the required documents section of the program RFA.
- Name the PDF file as follows: 2025 ELS_Last name, first name (Example: 2025 ELS_Smith, Jane)
- Formatting:
- Include a header at the upper right corner of each page with your name (last name, first name) and award name.
- Use half-inch margins. Do not use lettering smaller than 10 point.
- Adhere to page limits and complete all sections.
- Submit your application at www.liverresearchawards.org. You will be sent an email confirmation that the application was received. If an email confirmation is not received in two (2) business days, please contact awards@aasld.org to confirm receipt.
Questions
Any questions should be sent to awards@aasld.org
Return to Current Funding Opportunities
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The 2025 Emerging Liver Scholar program is made possible through generous contributions from the Chung Family Fund for Emerging Liver Scholars, Dr. Guadalupe Garcia-Tsao, the Luxon Family Fund for Emerging Hepatology Scholars, and unrestricted donations from AASLD and donors to the AASLD Foundation.
