Training produces excellent technicians. The field advances on thinkers.
The Saman Aesthetic Surgery Scholarship is an annual award of $5,000 for original thinking by a surgical trainee in facial aesthetic surgery. It is awarded once each year from 2027 through 2031, across six training pathways in the United States and Canada.
Assessment is based primarily on a single piece of writing rather than on a record of output. Applicants are asked to identify something in the field that is mistaken, unexamined, or capable of improvement, and to defend a position on it. That document accounts for 60 of 100 points.
The award is presented each autumn at the AAFPRS Annual Meeting. Funded by the practice of Dr. Masoud Saman, New York.
A note on why this award exists
Surgical training is very good at producing competent operators. It selects for reliability, for pattern recognition, for performing the accepted manoeuvre accurately under pressure and at three in the morning. These are not small qualities, and a specialty without them does not function.
They are also not what moves a field.
Every technique any of us uses was once somebody's departure from what they were taught. Someone looked at a step that everyone performed the same way and could not find a reason for it that held up. Dorsal preservation was not new in 2015; it was old, discarded, and looked at again by people willing to ask whether the discarding had been justified. Most of what will be standard in twenty years is currently being thought about by someone who has been told it is not the way we do it here.
That habit of mind is rarer than technical skill and it is far less rewarded. Training has almost no mechanism for recognising it. There is no case log entry for having noticed something, no score for it, no line on a curriculum vitae. A resident can spend five years being quietly right about something and finish with nothing to show for it, while the same five years of accurate, unexamined repetition is fully documented.
This award is a small mechanism for the other thing. It does not ask what you have accomplished. It asks what you think is wrong, and whether you can defend the position when the strongest objection is put to it.
I recognise that asking a trainee to argue against accepted practice, in writing, with their name attached, takes a certain amount of nerve. That is deliberate. The committee reads for exactly that, and a cautious argument safely inside the consensus will not win this. Being ultimately correct is not required. Being interesting, specific, and honest about the weaknesses is.
Send us the idea you have been told it is too early to talk about.
Chair, Selection Committee · New York
The proposition
A 750-word argument. It is the principal basis of assessment and carries 60 of 100 points.
Applicants submit a written proposition: an identification of something in facial aesthetic surgery that is mistaken, unexamined, or capable of improvement, together with a defence of a position on it. The strongest objection to the position should be stated explicitly and answered.
The proposition is not a summary of prior research and not a statement of career intent. It is an argument, and it is assessed as one.
Admissible subject matter
The scope is deliberately wide, since advances in the field are not confined to operative technique:
- A modification to an existing technique, with an account of what the standard approach fails to address.
- An anatomic or biomechanical observation bearing on how a step should be performed.
- A proposed outcome measure, or an argument that the measures currently in use are inadequate.
- A method of teaching or assessing a technical skill, with a case for why it improves on current practice.
- An instrument, device, imaging or planning tool, or software application.
- A revision to patient selection, consent, or counselling, argued on evidence rather than preference.
- A technique or idea from an adjacent specialty that this one has not adopted, and an argument for why it should.
- A convention the field maintains without a documented rationale.
The work need not be published, funded, complete, or approved by an institutional review board, and it need not reflect the position of the applicant's program. It must be the applicant's own, specific, and able to withstand the obvious objection.
Correctness is not a criterion. The committee assesses the quality of the reasoning, the candour with which the argument's weaknesses are identified, and whether the position could in principle be tested. A well-constructed argument later shown to be wrong is scored above a conservative one that was never at risk.
Scope and eligible pathways
Facial aesthetic surgery in full, across six training pathways that do not ordinarily compete for the same award.
This is an award in facial aesthetic surgery, not in a single operation. Rhinoplasty falls within it, as do the facelift and neck, the eyelid and brow, the lip, the jaw, and facial contouring. The committee holds no preference among them and the rubric does not weight one above another. A proposition concerning lower lid support is scored on the same basis as one concerning the nasal dorsum or the mandibular angle.
Otolaryngology, plastic surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery, facial plastic surgery, aesthetic surgery, and oculoplastic surgery trainees address overlapping problems from separate literatures and rarely compete for the same funding. The eligible pathways were selected so that in this competition they do. Propositions that import evidence, instrumentation, or planning methods from an adjacent specialty are explicitly welcome, and are among the more likely places for a good argument to come from.
The range of procedures performed in the practice is listed on the procedures page. Nothing on it, and nothing adjacent to it, is out of scope.
Terms of the award
$5,000, allocated across three components. One recipient annually, 2027 through 2031, presented at the AAFPRS Annual Meeting.
Paid on announcement. No receipts, no reporting, and no restriction on use.
Registration, airfare, and lodging for the AAFPRS Annual Meeting, at which the award is presented. Booked and paid directly by the practice at the recipient's election, so that no cost is incurred in advance.
A dissection laboratory, workshop, or masterclass, whether at the Annual Meeting or elsewhere. Reimbursed against receipts through the end of the award year.
Non-monetary provisions
- One week observing in the operating room at Central Park South, where the schedule is limited to one patient per day. Strictly observational; no patient contact.
- A scheduled discussion of the proposition with each member of the selection committee.
- A letter of recommendation from the committee, available for fellowship applications, faculty appointments, or first positions.
- Publication of the proposition on this site, at the recipient's discretion.
- Up to two honorable mentions named annually. These carry recognition and a committee letter, but no funds.
Eligibility
Applicants must hold one of the following positions in an accredited program located in the United States or Canada at the application deadline.
Otolaryngology residents
PGY-4 or PGY-5 in an ACGME-accredited or Royal College–accredited program.
Plastic surgery residents
In either of the final two clinical years of an accredited integrated or independent residency.
Oral and maxillofacial surgery residents
In the final clinical year of a CODA-accredited or CDAC-accredited program, with a demonstrated interest in facial aesthetic surgery. Single-degree and dual-degree pathways are treated identically.
Facial plastic surgery fellows
Currently in an AAFPRS-accredited fellowship year.
Aesthetic surgery fellows
Currently in an Aesthetic Society–affiliated aesthetic surgery fellowship.
Oculoplastic surgery fellows
In either year of an ASOPRS fellowship.
Good standing
Confirmed by the applicant on the form. The program director is contacted for verification only if the applicant is shortlisted.
Not in independent practice
The award is for surgeons still in training. See below.
Surgeons in practice are not eligible. Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited training program at the application deadline and must not have entered independent practice at any point. This excludes attending surgeons, partners and associates in private practice, faculty, locum and contract surgeons, and anyone who practised independently before returning to a fellowship. Moonlighting permitted and supervised by a training program does not affect eligibility. The award exists to reach people before their thinking has been shaped by a practice, and the exclusion is applied strictly.
Eligibility and selection are determined without regard to race, colour, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital or family status, citizenship or immigration status, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. None of these is requested at any stage and none is provided to the committee. The criteria are the applicant's training status and the location and accreditation of the program.
Applicants may apply in any year in which they remain eligible; an unsuccessful application has no bearing on a subsequent one. There is no application fee. Reasonable accommodations in the application process are available on request and have no effect on assessment.
The terms and conditions set out the selection process, conflict-of-interest rules, intellectual property, and handling of submitted materials in full.
How to apply
Three documents, sent by email. No portal, no account, no fee.
Email your application to info@samanmd.com, subject line Scholarship 2027: your surname, by 23:59 Eastern on 15 March 2027. Attach three files:
- The application form. Posted on this page on 1 January 2027. Complete it, sign it, save as PDF. It carries your details, your training pathway, a short note on one thing you have already pushed on, and the declarations.
- The proposition. 750 words, PDF. No name, institution, or program in the text, header, footer, or filename, because the first round is scored blind. Name the file proposition.pdf.
- Your curriculum vitae. PDF, current, no page limit.
Separately, ask your referee to email their letter directly to the same address, with your surname in the subject line, by the same deadline. One letter, from anyone you choose. The program director confers no advantage. A letter forwarded by the applicant is accepted, but one sent directly by the referee carries more weight, for the obvious reason.
An acknowledgement is sent within three working days. If none arrives, the application did not reach us; send it again.
Nothing else is required. No case logs, no operative numbers, no transcripts, no personal statement, and no letter or form from your program director at the time of application. Enrolment and standing are verified only for shortlisted applicants.
Patient information. No patient photographs and no identifiable patient information in any attachment. Submissions containing it are disqualified.
The form will be posted here on 1 January 2027, as a PDF and as a Word document. Nothing on it requires preparation in advance. The only item worth starting early is the proposition.
Rubric
The distribution is deliberate. Sixty points rest on a single document that cannot be produced by anyone other than the applicant and for which an extensive curriculum vitae is not a substitute. An applicant with no publications and an original argument will outscore one with a long bibliography and a conventional argument. This is the basis on which the award differs from those keyed to prior output.
The two most common causes of a low score are a proposition that takes no position, and a proposition that omits the objection.
Selection committee and process
Three facial plastic surgeons. Every application is scored by all three.
Dr. Masoud Saman
Double board-certified in otolaryngology and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. Practice limited to rhinoplasty and facial rejuvenation. Published work.
To be announced
This member is named here once confirmed.
To be announced
This member is named here once confirmed.
The first round is scored blind. Applicant names, institutions, referee identities, and other identifying details are removed before distribution, and no member sees another member's scores until all three are submitted. Only the highest-scoring applications are unblinded, and only for the final discussion.
Any committee member who has trained, taught, employed, supervised, operated alongside, or co-authored with an applicant recuses from that application; the recused score is excluded and the application is scored on the remaining members. The rubric is published above so that the basis of assessment is available to applicants in advance.
Calendar
The same six dates annually.
Applications open
The form is posted on this page and submissions are accepted from 00:01 Eastern.
Deadline
23:59 Eastern, inclusive of the letter of recommendation, which the referee sends directly. Late applications are not reviewed.
Blind review
Each committee member scores every de-identified application independently against the published rubric.
Committee meeting
The highest-scoring applications are unblinded and discussed. One recipient and up to two honorable mentions are selected.
Recipient notified
Privately, with one week to coordinate with the recipient's institution before public announcement.
Award presented
At the AAFPRS Annual Meeting. The observation week is scheduled in conjunction with the meeting or separately, according to the recipient's training obligations.
Frequently asked questions
How is an application submitted?
By email to info@samanmd.com, with three attachments: the completed application form, the proposition, and a curriculum vitae. The referee emails the letter separately to the same address. There is no application portal and no account to create. Section 06 has the detail.
Are oral and maxillofacial surgery trainees eligible?
Yes. Residents in the final clinical year of a CODA-accredited or CDAC-accredited oral and maxillofacial surgery program, with a demonstrated interest in facial aesthetic surgery, are eligible on exactly the same basis as every other pathway. Single-degree and dual-degree programs are treated identically. The interest is evidenced through the proposition and the statement of prior contribution; no separate documentation is required.
I have completed training and am in practice. May I apply?
No. The award is restricted to surgeons currently enrolled in an accredited training program at the deadline. Anyone who has entered independent practice is ineligible, including a surgeon who practised independently and subsequently returned to a fellowship. Moonlighting permitted and supervised by a training program does not affect eligibility.
Are publications required?
No. The proposition accounts for 60 points. The remaining 40 are split between the letter of recommendation and a single 20-point assessment of record and trajectory, drawn from the curriculum vitae and the 150-word note in the application form. An audit conducted on the applicant's own service counts there on the same basis as a peer-reviewed paper. An award weighted toward publication record would measure what existing awards already measure.
Who should write the letter of recommendation?
Anyone the applicant chooses. One letter is required and there is no advantage to a particular referee's seniority or title. The program director's role is limited to a separate administrative attestation of good standing, which is not scored. Applicants should ask their referee to address how they reason rather than how they perform clinically.
What if the proposition is subsequently shown to be incorrect?
Assessment is of the reasoning, the identification of the argument's weaknesses, and whether the position could be tested. Correctness is not on the rubric.
What if the applicant's attending or program disagrees with the proposition?
No institutional approval or endorsement is required. The attestation of good standing concerns the applicant's standing, not the content of the argument. Applicants may note that a proposition does not represent their institution's position.
Is this a rhinoplasty award?
No. The scope is facial aesthetic surgery in full, together with teaching, measurement, planning, and patient selection. A proposition concerning deep plane technique, one concerning the nasal dorsum, and one concerning skeletal contouring are scored on the same basis.
May an applicant submit work already in progress?
Yes. Most competitive applications are expected to be exactly that. The subject need not be new to the applicant, only the applicant's own.
Is there an application fee?
No.
Is citizenship a requirement?
No. Citizenship is not a criterion and is not collected. The training program must be accredited and located in the United States or Canada.
May an applicant apply in more than one year?
Yes, in any year in which they remain eligible. Prior applications are not disclosed to the committee. Resubmission of a developed proposition is permitted.
Who retains ownership of the proposition?
The applicant, in full. A recipient is asked for non-exclusive permission to publish the proposition and may decline without affecting the award. Materials from unsuccessful applicants are deleted after the cycle closes and are neither published nor reused. Nothing in the terms assigns intellectual property. Applicants whose proposition concerns potentially patentable subject matter should consult their institution's technology transfer office before submission.
Is the award taxable?
Recipients should assume so. Recipients are not degree candidates, so the award is generally treated as income rather than as an excludable scholarship, and any required tax documentation will be issued. The practice does not provide tax advice; applicants should consult their own advisor.
Is the observation week compulsory?
No. It is offered rather than required and is strictly observational, involving no patient contact and no participation in care. Recipients should obtain institutional clearance before accepting, as some programs restrict outside clinical activity.
Applications open January 1.
The form is posted here on 1 January. Applications are emailed to info@samanmd.com by 15 March. There is no portal and no fee.
Enquiries: info@samanmd.com