The 2024 IUGA Linda Cardozo Observership Grants cycle has now closed.
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IUGA Linda Cardozo Observership Grants provide members with the opportunity to gain new skills and experience through side-by-side observation with more experienced practitioners and/or those with niche specialty skills within the field of urogynecology. The purpose of the observership grant program is to offset the travel and living expenses of an observership.
Observerships funded through the IUGA Linda Cardozo Observership Grant must be undertaken at an IUGA-approved host site (see Host Site Directory), selected by the applicant, which has proven expertise in a specific area related to urogynecology. Recipients spend 2-4 weeks at the host site, as mutually agreed upon by the applicant and host/host site. It is the applicant’s responsibility to coordinate with their chosen host site to find a mutually agreeable timeframe for their visit. If the applicant’s intended host site is not on the approved list of IUGA host sites, the intended host site may submit an application for approval and should do so a minimum of four weeks before the published grant application deadline.
No additional funding will be available through IUGA; any additional funding needed for the observership must be obtained by the applicant or the applicant’s home institution. The applicant is responsible for all healthcare costs and/or any other costs above and beyond the recipient’s observership grant funds. Recipients are responsible for making all travel and lodging arrangements and reservations. The applicant is also responsible for obtaining travel documents, visas, and/or any other documentation required for their entry/stay in the host country.
Please direct any questions regarding IUGA Observership Grants to the IUGA Office at
The 2024 IUGA Linda Cardozo Observership Grants cycle has now closed.
Grant Categories & Eligibility
IUGA offers observership grants in the three categories listed below.
Trainee/Fellow/Physician-in-Training Category
- Award amount: USD 4,000
- Applicant must be an IUGA member in good standing.
- Applicant must be a trainee, fellow, or physician in training.
- Trainees in nursing, midwifery, and the allied health professions are eligible to apply in this category.
Under-Resourced Country Category
- Award amount: USD 4,000
- Applicant must be an IUGA member in good standing.
- Applicant must be a medical practitioner practicing in an under-resourced country (as defined by the World Bank).
Open Category
- Award amount: USD 2,000
- Applicant must be an IUGA member in good standing.
- Any IUGA member, including both physician and non-physician members, is eligible to apply for this grant category.
Awards
The observership grant cycle opens in the spring and typically closes before the Annual Meeting (typically, but not always, held in June). All complete applications are reviewed and scored by the IUGA Education Committee, which then recommends recipients to the IUGA Board to confirm. Applicants will be notified of the outcome via email. Award recipients will be announced to the membership via email and recipient names will be included on the IUGA website.
In the event the Education Committee determines there are no qualified applicants in a specific grant category, the Committee reserves the right to forego awarding a grant in that category and may instead award a qualified applicant from another category.
A host site may not host more than one IUGA Linda Cardozo Observership Grant recipient in any given year. For this reason, applicants must list both a first- and second-choice host site on their application. Award recipients are not guaranteed an observership at their first-choice host site. In the event two awardees have selected the same host site, the Education Committee will select which recipient receives their first-choice host site based on the applicant’s stated goals for the observership compared to the expertise of the site.
Grant recipients will receive the funding approximately one month before the beginning of their observership after all requirements are met.
Forms
- Observership Guidelines and Instructions
- Host Site Application Form
- Host Site Agreement Form
- Host Site Directory
Submission Instructions
Be sure to read the Observership Guidelines and Instructions before submission. A complete grant application (online application form + required attachments) must be submitted by the published deadline. Late applications will not be considered. Awards made in the 2024 Observership Grant cycle are for observerships to be carried out during the 2024 calendar year. An IUGA Office staff member will preview each application for completeness before forwarding it to the Education Committee for review and has the authority to disqualify an application if it is incomplete and/or any required documents are not included in the submission.
Required Application Documents:
- Observership Application (access online form here) which includes:
- A short written account of the reasons for and benefits of the intended visit (500 words or less)
- Area of interest selected and publications or other work in the specified area
- The name and institution of the host site you wish to visit and their particular expertise (must indicate both first- and second-choice host site)
- The planned duration of observership
- The estimated cost of travel and subsistence, together with details of any other financial assistance being obtained or requested
- Names and contact information of two referees
- Required Documents
- Two Letters of Reference (letters should be from the referees whose names are provided on the online application form)
- Signed Host Site Agreement Forms from your first-choice site (download Host Site Agreement Form here.) If you are awarded a grant for your second-choice host site, a signed Host Site Agreement must be obtained from the alternate host site and submitted to the IUGA Office before funds will be awarded. Applicant is responsible for obtaining the Signed Host Agreement from the host/host site. While the signed Host Site Agreement Form is the preferred documentation, a confirmation of acceptance from the specified host site via a letter on institution letterhead or a formal email from the host indicating their willingness to host may also be submitted.
- A brief CV with related qualifications (maximum 3 pages)
- Headshot/photo (will be used to announce recipients, on the IUGA website and social media channels, and to promote the grant program)
Post-Award Requirements
Recipients must:
- Submit a Final Report of their observership experience to the IUGA Office within 60 days of the completion of the observership. Final Reports may be published on the IUGA website and/or in the IUGA Newsletter.
- Provide a full itemized account of the use of the funds awarded by IUGA, including receipts, where appropriate.