J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1996;112:1679-1680
© 1996 Mosby, Inc.
Strengthening international ties in cardiothoracic surgery
James L. Cox, MD
Evarts A. Graham Professor of Surgery
Washington University Medical Center
St. Louis, Mo.
President, Graham Education and Research Foundation, AATS
Secretary, AATS
Reply to the Editor:
We are all indebted to Dr. Cornelius Dyke, the Forty-third Evarts A. Graham Memorial Traveling Fellow of The American Association for Thoracic Surgery, for his timely and thoughtful letter regarding his experience during his year as the Graham Traveling Fellow. From its inception until a few years ago, the Graham Traveling Fellowship had been offered only to foreign medical graduates who wished to spend a year visiting major North American clinics of interest to them in the development of their future careers abroad. Because of the resurgence of excellence in education and clinical innovation that has occurred abroad during the past several years, the Graham Traveling Fellowship Committee of the AATS decided to open the competition to North American candidates who wished to travel abroad for a year. This action on the part of the Committee brought North American candidates into direct competition with candidates from abroad who were seeking the Graham Traveling Fellowship. Because of the differences in training requirements, it became virtually impossible for the Committee to compare the qualifications of international applicants with those of North American applicants. Perhaps for that reason more than any other, it was believed that the international applicants were placed at a disadvantage in competing for this prestigious fellowship. As a result, the Graham Traveling Fellowship Committee reversed itself and has now again closed applications to North American applicants. This decision will preclude outstanding young North American surgeons, such as Dr. Dyke, from competing for the Graham Traveling Fellowship. As a result, the Council of the AATS has under consideration several options to address the notion that young North American surgeons should have the opportunity to visit international clinics with the support of a fellowship of comparable prestige to the Graham Traveling Fellowship. Certainly Dr. Dyke's letter would indicate the need and, ideally, the support for such an action by the Council.
