Am I eligible to apply for a travel grant?

Fellows, residents, trainees and pharmacists who meet the registration eligibility criteria and the travel grant criteria below can apply for a travel grant. Non-doctoral allied health professionals are not eligible for travel grants BUT they can still attend the meeting without one. Approximately 145 travel grants will be awarded, and approximately 20 additional attendees can attend without travel assistance from AST.

Travel grant application criteria:

1. Must be a fellow, resident, trainee or pharmacist (PharmD)
2. Must submit a letter of recommendation from their Program Director. Click here to see the requirements for the recommendation letter. 
3. Must be sponsored by an AST member in good standing (Note: sponsors are limited to supporting one applicant from within their institution and one from outside of their institution)
4. Must be attending the AST Fellows Symposium with a travel grant for the first time
5. Must certify that they do not have other funding for travel (e.g. research stipend, award)
6. Must stay Friday and Saturday nights at the meeting hotel and participate in the entire duration of the program.

OK, I am eligible for a travel grant, now how do I apply?

The application process will take about 10 minutes to complete. Please be sure to have the letter of recommendation from your Program Director ready to upload during the application. 

How many people can get a travel grant from my institution/program?

No more than a total of two applicants from the same program will be issued a travel grant, and no more than a total of four applicants from the same institution will be issued a grant.

What does the travel grant cover?

The travel grant includes two nights at the conference center and meals during the conference (2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, and breaks). The travel grant also covers the cost of your roundtrip flight up to $275. All flights must be booked through the AST preferred travel agent. The travel grant recipient will be responsible for full payment of the flight and will be issued a reimbursement check at the meeting. You are responsible for any flight amount over $275 and any additional expenses for luggage, hotel, taxi, parking and meals outside of the conference. For those who drive to the meeting, mileage will be reimbursed in lieu of a flight, up to $275.

Non-reimbursable Expenses

Other than the specific items listed above, AST will not reimburse any other expenses including, but not limited to: registration fee, ground transportation at your home airport or in Grapevine (taxi/shuttle), gasoline, meals on own while traveling or during the conference (e.g. room service), long-distance phone calls, flight upgrades/changes or checked bags, entertainment (in hotel or offsite), or tips/gratuities. Special note about rental cars: if you use a rental car to drive to the meeting in lieu of flying, you may submit for reimbursement the cost of the rental itself plus gas and tolls, not mileage. Up to $275 will be covered regardless of your total expense. If you fly to Texas and rent a car while attending the meeting, rental car expense will not be reimbursed.