Video clip | ASCI Perspectives – the patient connection to physician-scientists:
Alessia Fornoni, MD, PhD, and MSTP candidate Antonio M. Fontanella

Physician-Scientist Engagement Committee (PSEC) member Dr. Alessia Fornoni (University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; view profile) talks with Antonio M. Fontanella, a Medical Scientist Training Program candidate in her laboratory studying the mechanisms of proteinuria in kidney diseases as well as a recurrent focal segmental glomerulosclerosis survivor. They discuss how Fontanella’s experiences as a patient have influenced his path toward becoming a physician-scientist and inform his patient-focused approach to research. — Posted March 2026

Click the image below for the full interview. (For a the full video, click here; 9 minutes.)

ASCI Perspectives – the patient connection to physician-scientists:
Alessia Fornoni, MD, PhD, and MSTP candidate Antonio M. Fontanella

Physician-Scientist Engagement Committee (PSEC) member Dr. Alessia Fornoni (University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; view profile) talks with Antonio M. Fontanella, a Medical Scientist Training Program candidate in her laboratory studying the mechanisms of proteinuria in kidney diseases as well as a recurrent focal segmental glomerulosclerosis survivor. They discuss how Fontanella’s experiences as a patient have influenced his path toward becoming a physician-scientist and inform his patient-focused approach to research. — Posted March 2026

Click the image below for the full interview. (For a short clip, click here; 1 ½ minutes.)

Active and International membership guidance

Information is current as of February 24, 2026. Please be aware of potential changes in future cycles.

Nominations for Active and International membership generally open in the summer. Click here to be notified when the next annual cycle begins. All participants in a nomination should carefully review the information below. Send questions to staff@the-asci.org.

Navigate to section:

Eligibility

Nominees for Active and International membership:

  • must be physicians who have “accomplished meritorious original, creative, and independent investigations in the clinical or allied sciences of medicine” and who enjoy “unimpeachable moral standing in the medical profession” (as stated in the ASCI bylaws);
  • may not be nominated more than three times; and
  • must be age 50 or younger on January of the election year.

Proposers are discouraged from nominating those whose qualifications may not be sufficiently advanced, or from re-nominating a candidate if the candidate’s work has changed little since their previous nominations.

The ASCI Council reviews nominations and may recommend up to 100 Active and International nominees for election. The Council presents the recommended nominee group to Active and Senior members to approve by vote. Those elected will be recognized at the following ASCI Dinner and New Member Induction Ceremony at the AAP/ASCI/APSA Joint Meeting in Chicago.

Note that Council members may not serve in any capacity regarding nominations.

Nomination preparation guidance and instructions

A nomination requires one Proposer and one Seconder, both of whom must be ASCI members in good standing and (if applicable) current in Society dues. General Supporters are optional and are not required to be ASCI members. Note that Emeritus members may participate in any of these roles.

Note: A nominee may request that the nomination be set up for her/his editing by sending an email to staff@the-asci.org; if a Proposer has been identified, provide that person’s name in the request. 

There is no limit to the number of nominations a member can propose or support (either as Seconder or General Supporter).

The Proposer is ideally from an institution different from the nominee’s institution (although this is not required) and should have a good understanding of the nominee’s work. The Proposer is responsible for:

  • starting the nomination (see “ASCI account access” below);
  • granting access to the nominee to edit certain sections of the nomination (see detail in “Nomination sections” below); note that granting access is required, as demographic information can be supplied only by the nominee;
  • providing the “Proposer’s general statement on the nominee” (500-word limit) and “Statement on progress and development since previous nomination” (if applicable, 500-word limit);
  • ensuring that the nomination is accurate and complete; and
  • submitting the nomination.

Nominees can, when granted access, edit sections of the nomination except those exclusive to the Proposer. Only the nominee can provide demographic information, including research domain(s).

The Seconder is ideally from an institution different from the nominee’s institution (although this is not required) and should have a good understanding of the nominee’s work. The Seconder is responsible for completing and submitting a form that includes:

  • scores for the areas enumerated in the form;
  • comments (500-word limit) that supplement, but do not duplicate, information provided by the Proposer and deal specifically with the nominee’s original scientific contributions; and
  • a description of the relationship to the nominee.

General Supporters (not required; limited to 3 per nomination) may help to provide additional context for a nominee’s contributions, and to demonstrate wider support for the nominee beyond the candidate’s own institution, particularly if the Proposer and Seconder of a nomination are from the nominee’s institution. Anyone (including any ASCI member except those on the ASCI Council) may serve as a General Supporter. The General Supporter completes and submits a form that includes:

  • scores for the areas enumerated in the form;
  • comments (250-word limit) that supplement, but do not duplicate, information provided by the Proposer or the Seconder and deal specifically with the nominee’s original scientific contributions; and
  • description of the relationship to the nominee.

A nomination support template may be referenced in order to aid in drafting comments. Please note, however:

  • General Supporters who are ASCI members should complete and submit the required information online through their member accounts (see “ASCI account access”).
  • General Supporters who are not ASCI members should request that the Proposer add them to the nomination. The Proposer is then able to send an email containing information about accessing the support form on the ASCI website.

ASCI account access

  • Access your account
  • Go to the “Activities / nominations” tab, navigate to the “Active and International membership” section, and click on Search for a nominee.
  • Enter the nominee’s last name (you may enter a partial name):
    • If the nominee is found, you’ll be prompted to select your role if available: Proposer, Seconder, or General Supporter.
    • If the nominee isn’t found, provide the requested information to add the nominee and start the nomination by selecting your role (see bullet point immediately preceding).

Nomination sections

  • About the nominee
    Proposer and nominee may edit this information.
  • Nominee’s demographic information
    Only the nominee may edit this information.
    The ASCI requests responses to questions in a brief, 9-section survey that will help provide the foundation for expanding diversity, fostering inclusion, and achieving equity in the ASCI. All response areas are voluntary, with a “Prefer not to answer” option available for each section. Anyone with access to person-specific information (such as ASCI leadership, members associated with review processes, and staff members) will be required to keep the information confidential. Depersonalized summary information of all response areas may be provided in periodic public reports.
  • Nominee’s research domain(s)
    Only the nominee may edit this information.
  • Nominee’s institutional affiliation
    Proposer and nominee may edit this information.
  • Support for nomination
    — Only the Proposer has access to this section.
    Proposers may attach the Seconder and General Supporters to the nomination by searching the ASCI member directory. For a supporter who is not an ASCI member, Proposers must supply the supporter’s name and email address in order to attach the person to the nomination. After supporters are attached to the nomination, Proposers are provided the ability to notify them regarding their support forms.
  • Nominee’s biography
    Proposer and nominee may edit this information.
    Limited to 300 words, this brief summary of the nominee’s research and accomplishments will not be evaluated for review, but will be used to populate the nominee’s ASCI directory entry if the nominee is elected.
  • Documents
    Proposer and nominee may edit this information:

    • Full academic curriculum vitae, including:
      • current funding (clearly indicate whether the nominee is a principal investigator),
      • past funding,
      • invited lectures,
      • patents, and
      • full bibliography (with original research separated from other types of publications and the nominee’s name presented in bold face).
    • NIH-style biographical sketch (5-page limit), following the current format available at:
      http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/biosketch.htm
    • A high-resolution headshot photograph (for use if the nominee is recommended for election)
    • Three “Most significant publications,” excluding those representing work done by the nominee as a trainee. For each of these three files, an annotation is required and consists of three aspects:
      1. Citation: Author list in the original publication sequence, with the nominee’s name in capital letters, followed by numbered notation of the nominee’s role in parentheses (1 = principal investigator, 2 = collaborator), title, journal name, volume, inclusive page numbers, and year: Example:
        “John Q. Public and JANE DOE (1). Title. Journal. 1:1-10 (2015).”
      2. Pubmed ID (PMID).
      3. Annotation: A description (50-word limit) of the publication’s key findings and significance.
  • Seminal contribution(s)
    —  Proposer and nominee may edit this information.
    Summarize the nominee’s defining seminal contribution(s) and why this work forms the basis for the nomination (75-word limit). Use of lay terminology is encouraged.
  • Proposer’s general statement on the nominee
    Only the Proposer has access to this section.
    In the Proposer’s own words (500-word limit), describe the quality, originality, and impact of the nominee’s scientific work and the consistency and importance of the nominee’s research theme. Include a statement on the level of independence from the nominee’s mentor(s) and the nominee’s productivity and stature in the field.

    • Proposers should expand upon the candidate’s seminal contribution(s), including the originality, novelty, and impact of this research on the field. Note any special circumstances (e.g., childbearing or personal/family illness) that influenced the candidate’s research activities.
    • Information regarding major awards, invitations to give plenary lectures (especially at national and international meetings), and invitations to write chapters in major textbooks should be included as applicable — the quality and quantity of work are important factors.
  • Statement on progress and development since previous nomination
    Proposer and nominee may edit this information.
    In the Proposer’s own words (500-word limit), describe the critical differences between this nomination and the previous nomination (if applicable).

Nominations open for the 2026-2028 ASCI Postbaccalaureate Program

The ASCI is pleased to call for applications for the 2026-2028 ASCI Postbaccalaureate Program, a mentored research experience in an ASCI-member laboratory. By the end of the two-year term, postbacs will possess the experience, confidence, and research acumen necessary to become competitive MD or MD-PhD candidates entering the physician-science pipeline.

Postbacs will attend and present their research at the 2027 and 2028 AAP/ASCI/APSA Joint Meetings and are expected to co-author papers describing their research projects.

Nominations for this cycle are open through March 31, 2026.

This program provides an intensive, two-year mentored laboratory research experience for students that will expose them to the physician-scientist career path, strengthen their applications to MD or MD-PhD programs, and enhance their career development. From the nominations, two finalists will be selected.

Nominees are undergraduates who are either in their last year of study or are college graduates who have received their bachelor’s degree within two years at the time of submission. Nominees should intend to apply to medical school during their second year of the Postbac Program.

Nominators are ASCI members in good standing who are able to provide a suitable environment for their nominees and who, by way of their nomination, are indicating their agreement to host the nominee if selected for this recognition. (This is different from previous cycles in which nominees would be matched with member labs via a separate solicitation for members interested in hosting a postbac.)

Nominations consist of the following:

  • The nominator provides:
    • a 500-word statement focused on two aspects:
      • a description of the nominee’s strengths and suitability for this program, and
      • detail regarding the daily mentoring and career-development environment available to the nominee during the term of the program
    • a trainee table (PDF)
  • The nominee provides:
    • a 750-word essay that describes the nominee’s research experience, current interests and career goals;
    • an undergraduate transcript (PDF);
    • a curriculum vitae (PDF);
    • headshot photograph (JPG etc.) (this file is not used in the review process);
    • two letters of recommendation (see more below); and
    • a completed ASCI demographics survey.

Letters of recommendation

Nominees will see a “Letters of recommendation” section where they can look up supporters and add them to the nomination if not found in our database. Supporters do not need to be affiliated with the ASCI in any way.

Once a supporter is selected, nominees notify the supporter by clicking “Notify supporter”; this will prompt supporters via email to access the portal through which they will complete two sections:

  • a statement (500-word limit) detailing the nominee’s strengths and suitability to this program; and
  • a brief statement regarding the supporter’s relationship to the nominee.

In this section, nominees will be able to see whether supporters’ forms are in progress or submitted. Nominees also receive an email notification when each supporter submits her/his form. Note that nominees won’t be able to submit their part of the nomination until supporters have been notified.

Frequently Asked Questions

See the main ASCI Postbaccalaureate Program page.

Contact:

For information or questions, contact us at programs@the-asci.org.

ASCI Scientific Session: Barney S. Graham, MD, PhD – March 10, 2026, 1-2pm E

Portrait of Dr. Barney S. Graham
Barney S. Graham, MD, PhD

March 10, 1-2 pm Eastern

Barney S. Graham, MD, PhD, Professor and Director of the David Satcher Global Health Equity Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine, will present:

New Vaccine Realities and the Future of Pandemic Preparedness

Register Here

This session will be moderated by Kyu Rhee, MD, PhD, Co-Chair of the ASCI’s Physician-Scientist Development Committee, and Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology and Immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Thank you for your participation!

Click here for more information and to view past ASCI Scientific Sessions.