Objectives Of The Program:
Basic tenets of the PES International Scholars Program are that foreign applicants eligible for the awards will be identified by PES members; the applicant and the PES member will prepare the application jointly; and if the applicant receives the award, the PES member will serve as host for the awardee while he/she is in North America. The host and the awardee will define the awardee's educational goals for the visit and will devise a program for attaining these goals. The goals might include observation in the host's clinics, opportunities for library research and for preparation of manuscripts, acquisition of techniques used in the host's laboratory, and development of long-term collaborative projects between the awardee and the host.

In addition to the visit in the host's endocrine unit, the awardee will attend the annual meeting of the PES. It will be necessary, therefore, for the time spent by the awardee in the host's endocrine unit to coincide with the PES meeting. It is intended that the awardee be present in North America for at least 4 weeks, but for no more than 3 months. The 4 week minimum will allow sufficient time for the awardee to have a meaningful visit in the host's unit, considering that the awardee will also be expected to spend up to 1 week at the annual meeting of the PES and, if desired, in the joint meetings of the Pediatric Academic Societies–PAS: the American Pediatric Society-APS, the Society for Pediatric Research-SPR, and the Ambulatory Pediatric Association-APA). The 3 month maximum period is selected to avoid giving the awards to individuals who are residing in the USA or Canada, who are receiving salaries from USA or Canadian institutions, or who are in prolonged sabbaticals from their home countries. Reports on the visit, from the applicant and the sponsor, will be submitted to the scholarship committee after the visit.

2010 International Scholar Award Winners:

1. Dr. Henry Marcano, Caracas, Venezuela. Mentor: Prof. Silva Arslenian, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

2009 International Scholar Award Winners:

1. Dr. Monica Molina - Paredes, Universidades Catolica, Santiago y de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile - Mentor: Prof. Stuart A. Chalew, Louisiana State University, New Orleans

2. Dr. S. Sadehpour, Children's Hospital of Tehran, Iran - Mentor: Prof. Robert Rosenfield, University of Chicago

2008 International Scholar Award Winners:

1. Alvaro Aguirre-Villafan, MD Universidad San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca – Bolivia
North American Sponsor: Silva Arslanian, MD Children’s Hospital and University of Pittsburgh

2. Dr. Vandana Jain, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India.
North American Sponsor: Ram K. Menon, MD University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

3. Marisela Medina, MD Sponsored by Roberto Lanes, MD Caracas, Venezuela
North American Sponsor: Nelly Mauras, MD Nemours Children’s Clinic and Mayo Medical School, Jacksonville, Florida.

For additional information contact:
Alfonso Vargas, M.D.
Chairman, PES International Scholars Program Committee
Department of Pediatrics – Division of Endocrinology
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - School of Medicine
Children’s Hospital
200 Henry Clay Avenue, Research and Education Bldg, Suite 4233
New Orleans, LA 70118-2822 – USA
TEL (504) 896-9282
FAX (504) 894-5139
E-mail: avarga@lsuhsc.edu