and      

Present the 2025 Travel Award Request for Proposals

Introduction:

The Scholarship Committee and the Finance and Operations Committee for the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO) are excited to partner with eContour and MIM Software to introduce a travel award opportunity for eligible applicants. With our partners, we will be awarding travel funds to up to 10 radiation oncology residents, fellows, or new practitioners who contribute a case that is currently not represented on eContour. Case content will be evaluated based on novelty and strength of evidence.

The $500 grant will be released in two phases of $250 each, contingent on the timely submission of the case (see timeline below).

Award Timeline:

• November 26, 2024 - Submission deadline for applications
• December 10, 2024 - Selected case submitters will be notified
• January 7, 2025 - Deadline for selected case submitters to upload full case descriptions and DICOMs to the eContour website. First grant payment is contingent on successful case submission.  
• March 12-15, 2025 (ACRO 2025) - For those who have a finalized case by the time of the ACRO Annual Meeting, the second payment will be issued at the conference. If not, the second payment will be delivered by April 15, 2025. All selected grant recipients, regardless of case completion status, will receive an award certificate at the annual meeting.

Details:

• Residents will submit a contouring case proposal that fills a current need on the eContour website. Currently, pediatric cases are not accepted.
• The eContour committee will select up to ten eligible applicants’ proposals for a new eContour case.
• Selected applicants will prepare their proposed case and upload to the eContour platform for approval.
• These recipients will be awarded $500 travel awards to the ACRO Annual Meeting, March 12-15, 2025 (see timeline above).
  • Expenses exceeding the award funds will be the responsibility of the recipient.
  • Recipients must make all arrangements to attend the meeting.
• Final acceptance and disbursement of funds is subject to review and final approval by the ACRO Scholarship Committee and Finance & Operations Committee. Failure to comply with program requirements may be subject to award revocation.
• The deadline for application and case proposals is November 26 at 11:59 PM PST. Selected case submitters will be notified by December 10, 2024.
  

Eligibility:

• ACRO Membership: Applicants must be members of ACRO and in good standing at a radiation oncology residency or fellowship program. Applications for ACRO membership can be found at acro.org/membership.
• Submission Requirements: All submissions must include the following:
  • Application Form and Case Proposal (below)
  • Applicant’s Curriculum Vitae
  • Letter of Support from Radiation Oncology faculty for project review/ mentoring 
  • Case submitters must be available to review the case with an eContour-appointed faculty expert at a mutually agreed time on Zoom/Teams to receive feedback, make adjustments to volumes, and complete the learning process.
    
• Selections will be made by eContour. For questions, please contact support@econtour.org.  

Documentation Requirements:

• Letter of support: The faculty member who will serve as the case reviewer/ mentor should indicate support for trainee’s contouring case proposal. This letter must also indicate that the department supports and approves time away to attend the 2025 ACRO Annual Meeting.
• Travel confirmation: Confirmation of travel reservations must be provided to ACRO at least two weeks prior to the annual meeting.