Purpose
This Fellowship, sponsored by the Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology (APAGE), is to support a medical graduate who wishes to obtain training as a Clinician Scientist in the broad field of gastroenterology and hepatology and related disorders in an APAGE member country other than their own. The intention is help train leaders in the field who have obtained a grounding in laboratory or clinical scientific methods or both, and who will be able to contribute to research in the field during their subsequent career. It is recognized that a 12 month period will not be sufficient to complete a research doctorate or other qualification such as a Master of Public Health. However, some recipients may wish and have the opportunity to continue their research to complete such a qualification after the Fellowship has completed; others may return immediately to clinical practice, but with research skills they did not possess before. It is the wish of APAGE and the Foundation that Fellows will return to their home country on completion of the Fellowship (or any extension of time they might negotiate in the host country to complete a further qualification or extended project).

Value and period of tenure
The Fellowship will be for a period of not less than 6 months and not more than 12 months (preference will be given to those planning a 12 month period of training). It will provide a stipend of US$20,000, paid in two equal installments – the first prior to commencement of the Fellowship and the second at the mid- point in the Fellowship.

The Association will not be able to pay any additional amount for travel and relocation of the Fellow and her/his family, but the Fellow may use part of the stipend for this purpose if they wish.

Leave during the Fellowship
Applicants will be entitled to recreational leave not exceeding four weeks during the year. Sick leave may also be taken without reduction in stipend, with the approval of the host supervisor.

No other allowances are available.

Superannuation
The Association does not contribute to superannuation, loadings or continuation of service.

Additional Earnings
Applicants shall be entitled to engage in paid professional work by the host institution during the period of the Fellowship, providing that the paid work is approved in writing by the applicant’s supervisor. The holding of another source of support (for example a national travel scholarship) will not disqualify applicants, but must be disclosed at the time of application if such support has already been granted.

Application closing dates and expected date for notification of successful candidate
The closing date for applications has been extended to 28 February 2009. Instructions for completing the application form are provided on the form itself, and on the separate instruction page.

Commencement
The Fellowship may be commenced at any time during the calendar year after its award.

• Be in the final 12 months of a training program in gastroenterology and/or hepatology in a member country of the Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology, or not more than 3 years beyond the date of completion of training, at the closing date for applications, and
• Correctly fill in the application form and lodge with attachments prior to the closing date.

Reporting
On completion of the Fellowship, a written report of between 500 and 1000 words must be sent to the secretariat of APAGE, not later than 3 months after the completion of the Fellowship.  This report will be circulated to APAGE Council members.

Late or non-submission of the report may be publicized in the APAGE newsletter.

1. Directly into the MS Word files using a word-processor:

1. Applications can be prepared using Microsoft Word, entering information directly into the three files with .doc extensions (APAGE Fell_Main.doc, APAGE Fell_curr sup2.doc and APAGE Fell_proposed sup.doc).
2. When completed, the main application form (sections 1 to 11) must be printed in order to add the signatures of the applicant, the proposed training supervisor, the head of the intended department, and the head of the administering institution. The completed and signed form should then be sent to reach the APAGE secretariat at the address below by the closing date. (It will be satisfactory if a legible faxed copy is received by the closing date, but when this is done, the original must arrive soon after).

Mail to:
Secretariat, Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology, Room C, 7th Floor, Thomson Commercial Building, 8 Thomson Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong, China

Fax to:  +852 2869 9533

Sections 12 and 13, the confidential reports of the current (or most recent) supervisor and the proposed training supervisor, may also be completed electronically. These need not be printed for signature unless the supervisors wish. The supervisors may simply forward them to the APAGE secretariat as a file attached to a covering email in which they certify that they have completed the attached report. For reasons of confidentiality, these must not be sent via the applicant, but must be sent directly to APAGE. The APAGE email address is apage@apage.org . Alternatively, supervisors may print the forms and sign them, then forward them to APAGE at the above address by mail (plus or minus fax).

2. By printing this complete Adobe Acrobat document (APAGE Fellowship) then completing most sections in ink using capital letters, but using a typewriter or word-processor to print within the area of the form for sections 7, 10, 12 and 13. In this case, the completed main document, and the separate supervisors’ reports should be sent by mail (plus or minus fax) as indicated in method 1 above.

CONGRATULATIONS

The Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology (APAGE) wishes to congratulate

Dr Byung-Hoon Min

Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine

Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center

Seoul, South Korea

for being nominated the

APAGE/JGH Foundation Clinician-Scientist Training Fellowship 2007

Dr Byung-Hoon Min is presently attached to the Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea. His special field of interest is in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer. He will be conducting research on the role of Helicobacter pylori and DNA promoter hypermethylation in gastric carcinogenesis at the Research Institute of National Cancer Center in Tokyo, Japan, starting from March 2008.