Elsevier is a leading publisher of health science books and journals, including the #1 specialty journal in cardiology, HeartRhythm Journal. Elsevier helps to advance medicine by delivering superior education, reference information and decision support tools to doctors, nurses, health practitioners and students.

Essay Contest: Student Exploration Award

Elsevier, the publisher of the HeartRhythm Journal, supported the Journal's 201 Student Exploration Award. Open to high school juniors and seniors, this essay contest awarded a $1,000 scholarship at the Heart Rhythm Society’s 31st Annual Scientific Sessions and President’s Reception at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, CO on May 14, 2010. Students interested in a future career in science, medicine or healthcare were asked to write an essay (no longer than 2,000 words) on the following:

Essay Topic: Please research and explain three to five career options within the field of Heart Rhythm Disorders (clinical or non-clinical). Among the options chosen, please select one role that is most appealing to you and explain why you might be interested in pursuing a career in the field of cardiovascular health or specifically heart rhythm disorders.

“The HeartRhythm Journal and the Heart Rhythm Society recognize that there are many future leaders in America’s high school classrooms, who may be unaware of the vastness of the field of heart rhythm disorders when considering their career choices,” said Douglas P. Zipes, MD, editor of HeartRhythm. “This scholarship program will give all participants an opportunity to explore the field, while also helping one winner meet their financial goals for college.”

Student Exploration Award Details

Award Candidates
Candidates must be a current Junior or Senior in high school and should have interest in pursuing careers in the field of science, engineering, medicine/healthcare or a related field.

Instructions for Essay Submission

• Essays must be written in English.
• Essays must be no longer than 2,000 words excluding name, title, and references.
• Essays must be formatted as follows:
• • Times New Roman 12 point font
  • Justify left, page margins set at 1 inch
  • Number references consecutively in the order that they appear in the text
• Essays must be submitted to the Awards Committee electronically as an e-mail attachment (Word document preferred).
• Essay submission must include the author’s name, address, school affiliation, year level, telephone number, and e-mail address in the title page of the essay document.
• Submission by multiple authors are not permitted
• Submissions must include in the e-mail subject line ‘HRS Student Essay Award, Your Name”
• E-mail submissions to kbaldwin@hrsonline.org
• Submissions must be received no later than Friday, April 16, 2010

Questions about the award or submission process should be directed to Kennesha Baldwin, Manager, Media & Public Relations, kbaldwin@hrsonline.org or (202) 464-3476

Criteria for Selection
Essays will be evaluated on the following criteria*:

• Level of relevance and adherence to theme
• Style and clarity
• Formatting, spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• Inclusion of relevant research
• On-time submission; essays submitted after April 16 will not be considered

Award
The winning essay will be published on the Heart Rhythm Society’s online Career Center and the winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship and be recognized at the President’s Reception on Friday, May 14 in Denver, CO. The winner will also receive two complimentary day-passes to the Friday, May 14 scientific sessions, for them and a guest (a parent or teacher is preferable).

The winner must be available to accept the scholarship in person at the reception on Friday, May 14 from 6:15 – 7:15 p.m. at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, CO. Travel and any required accommodations and/or expenses are the full responsibility of the winner and will be not be reimbursed by the Heart Rhythm Society, the HeartRhythm Journal or Elsevier.

The winner will be notified via e-mail or in writing no later than April 30, 2010.

The scholarship must be utilized for college-related expenses such as tuition, books, housing, application fees, etc.

 Awards Committee

• Daniel P. Morin, MD, MPH, Ochsner Clinic, New Orleans, LA
• Heather M. Ross, ANP, MS, Arizona Arrhythmia Consultants, Paradise Valley, AZ
• Charlie Jones, VP of Marketing, Communications and Membership, Heart Rhythm Society
• Christina J. Wurster, MBA, Director of Marketing, Heart Rhythm Society
• Betsy Bogdansky, Director of Donor Relations, Heart Rhythm Foundation

* An award may not be offered if the Awards Committee does not receive any entries of sufficient merit.

This scholarship award is supported by Elsevier, the world’s leading publisher of science and health information, Elsevier serves more than 30 million scientists, students and health information professionals worldwide. Visit Elsevier online at www.elsevier.com.

HeartRhythm Journal is the only electrophysiology (EP) publication serving the entire EP community. The journal has an impact factor of 4.444 and ranks 11th out of 78 cardiovascular medicine journals worldwide by the Institute for Scientific Information, remaining the #1 specialty journal in cardiology.