Skip to content

Member Log In

COUR International Educational Scholarship

POSNA / Children’s Orthopaedics in Underserved Regions (COUR)

International Scholarship Program Application

A. Philosophy and Background

  1. Goals/intent of this program:
    • To have 4-6 orthopedic surgeons from developing nations attend the POSNA Annual Meeting or International Pediatric Orthopaedic Symposium (IPOS) with funding support (maximum of $2,500/scholar) for travel and meeting registration on an annual basis under the guidance of POSNA and a sponsoring POSNA member.
    • Facilitate short term visit of the International scholar to pediatric orthopedic centers in North America by identifying interested local hosts / institutions.
  2. Eligibility criteria for International scholar:
  3. potential applicant should:
    • Be a practicing orthopedic surgeon in a developing nation
    • Not have received a POSNA COUR fellowship in the past 5 years
    • Be directly involved in the care of children with orthopedic problems
    • Complete an Application form for the COUR International scholar’s program
    • Identify a sponsoring POSNA member
    • Agree to complete a feedback form regarding his/ her experience as a COUR scholar

B. Detailed Timeline

  • July 15- Email to request POSNA members submit nomination for potential scholars (application online and in email)
  • August 15- Second email request goes out to POSNA membership
  • September 1- Board approves amount of funding which determines the number of scholarships
  • November 1 - Deadline for completed application from sponsor and from applicant
  • December 1- COUR committee reviews entire application and chooses scholars
  • December 15- Sponsor and applicant are notified of decision. Request POSNA members to donate airline miles/Hilton honors to support the recipients.
  • January 1-Scholar confirms that they will attend the meeting for which they are selected. Scholar communicates their travel dates including pre/post observership(s).
  • February 15- POSNA staff will arrange air travel and lodging reservations for the duration of the annual meeting for the International Scholars. Reservations for IPOS meeting will be completed later in the year.
  • March 1 – POSNA staff sends details of scholar travel and hotel reservations to hosts.
  • 2 Months After POSNA/IPOS Meeting - Completed evaluations from the scholar and sponsor/host are collected and forwarded to COUR committee chair.

C. Applicant Responsibilities

  • Submit completed application, photo, personal accomplishments, 1 page essay and (2) recommendations by November 1 deadline
  • Have Visitor VISA for USA well ahead of time. POSNA will not book air flight until documentation of visa is received
  • Apply for post meeting observership – strongly encouraged.
  • Coordinate travel plan/hotel for POSNA or IPOS meeting with POSNA office staff. Applicant is responsible for covering all expenses above that of my scholarship amount (Maximum US $2,500). The applicant will also be responsible for any surcharge or cancellation fees that are incurred due to changes in my travel plans after the POSNA staff has initiated making my travel arrangements.
  • For scholars attending the POSNA annual meeting, present interesting cases or topic of interest for discussion / advise for small group discussion session at COUR symposium (Thursday afternoon).
  • Complete post scholarship evaluation within two months of attending the POSNA/IPOS meeting to POSNA office. Certificate will be sent once evaluation form is received

D. Sponsor Responsibilities

  • Submit the following to the POSNA office, 1)nomination and letter of recommendation to POSNA office by deadline (November 1), and 2) complete sponsor information form. The individual who submits a nomination must be available to perform all duties required of the sponsor should the candidate be selected.
  • If the candidate is selected for the scholarship, the sponsor must attend the annual meeting and serve to coordinate the scholar’s activities at the meeting. While the sponsor is not responsible for paying for meals or transportation from the hotel to the meeting venue for the scholar, you are responsible for:
  • Picking up the scholar from the airport and transport to assigned hotel for the POSNA or IPOS meeting
  • Introducing the scholar to colleagues
  • Accompanying scholar to social events
  • Encourage scholar to visit an institution after the annual meeting in the local area of the meeting or to an area of interest to the scholar. Volunteer hosts for this additional experience will be listed in a database, and COUR members will be available to suggest possible institutions.
  • Negotiate (along with COUR member) with sponsoring institution for transportation, room and board
  • Submit evaluation to POSNA within 2 months of attending the POSNA or IPOS meeting.

E. POSNA Office Staff Responsibilities

  • Mass email POSNA members to solicit nominations as sponsors for International scholars
  • Acts as liaison between COUR committee chair / POSNA sponsor / International scholar
  • Ensures that scholar is registered for meeting and social events (NO charge)
  • Confirms travel arrangements with scholar, including hotel accommodation for scholars at nearby hotel (close to POSNA/IPOS meeting venue). Flights will all be in economy class, and all efforts will be made to reduce costs.
  • Maintains budget for International scholars program as determined by POSNA board. Keeps account of Hilton Honors / American Airlines points available
  • Work with COUR committee members to allocate funds to cover the scholars.
  1. While the allocation of funds and airmiles/honors points will remain flexible and the relative distribution of resources may vary from year to year, one scholar will typically be funded through Airmiles / Hilton Honors points, and one to two scholars will be funded through discretionary funds.
  2. Each AAdvantage member is limited to receiving no more than 15,000 AAdvantage miles and may transfer no more than 15,000 AAdvantage miles into another AAdvantage account, per calendar year.  Given the rules and regulations, members are unable to donate their miles directly to POSNA. Donors will work with POSNA staff to secure airline tickets for the scholar.  This can be simple if the member gives POSNA their AAdvantage number to place the reservation.  If they don't feel comfortable sharing their AAdvantage number with us, they would have to be responsible for booking the ticket for the scholar (ie. contacting American Airlines to find the best flight).  The member would also have to provide a credit card number to American Airlines to pay for any applicable taxes or other additional charges.
  • Provide information on obtaining a United States Visa and a letter from the President of POSNA acknowledging that the applicant has been chosen for as a visiting scholarship to support the visa application.
  • Ensure that scholars photograph and short write up is posted on the website
  • Reminds sponsor of their responsibilities, including airport pick-up and local travel from hotel to meeting venue

• Collects feedback form from scholar within 2 months of attending the POSNA/IPOS meeting and passes on to COUR committee chair

• Mails certificate of attendance to scholar after feedback form is received.

• In a mass email encourages POSNA members to donate Airline / Hilton Honor miles etc for use in the COUR program. This would be in addition to efforts by COUR committee members

F. COUR Committee Responsibilities

  • Review applications by December 1
  • A subcommittee will be appointed to oversee the process of collecting and reviwing applications.
  • A representative from the AAOS international committee (appointed yearly) will participate in the process. This individual will grade applications and will be present for a conference call in which the scholars are selected.
  • The subcommittee will inform both the sponsor and scholar via email through the POSNA office regarding final decision by December 15.
  • Review feedback from scholars and sponsors and incorporate appropriate changes for future scholars
  • Facilitate an interactive sessions with scholars and members at the annual meeting. This may include a COUR Symposium at the POSNA Annual Meeting.
  • Website: Maintain list of scholars and their evaluation forms
  • Encourage POSNA members to donate Airline points for International scholars program via email in association with call for nominations
  • Call for volunteers to serve as local or regional hosts for scholars. Keep a list of these volunteers and their emails, and then email those on the list once candidates are selected.

2010 Annual Meeting

May 4-7, 2010 in Waikoloa, HI

Pediatric Orthopaedic Study Guide Updated

See Also

Physician Education

Annual Meeting

Annual Meeting Location May 16-19, 2012 in Denver, CO

Meeting Archives

Past Annual Meeting Location

Parents & Patients

Patient photos

Find a doctor