DePuy Spine supports a variety of educational programs that are of interest to the Company, including continuing medical education (CME) events hosted by providers accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (“ACCME”); non-CME events that avoid “off-label” discussion of DePuy Spine products; fellowship grants; travel grants for spine fellows and qualifying residents; grand rounds; and other programs. Each request is evaluated on the individual program’s merits, and all requests must be reviewed by the DePuy Spine Education Grant Committee for approval.

Requests for funding must be submitted by an accredited CME provider or a not-for-profit institution, outlining the amount requested, the proposed use of funding and a detailed budget. The requests should provide details about the program, indicate whether it will be CME-eligible, and include an agenda of topics to be covered and any other relevant information. Requests should be submitted to the company at least six weeks before the program and may be submitted via our online application.

All requests for funding are reviewed by the DePuy Spine Education Grant Committee, which generally meets once per month. Voting members of the committee include senior management from Medical Affairs, Regulatory Affairs, Health Care Compliance, and the Law Department. Company associates from Sales and Marketing may provide input and background information on submitted requests but do not have a vote in award decisions. No employee or independent sales representative is authorized to commit grant funding without the approval of the Education Grant Committee.

Factors our committee considers as part of the review process include the following:

• Content – The company looks to support high quality events that are in line with our strategic objectives. Programs that are unrelated to spine, that are not of significant educational value, or that are duplicative of other programs funded by the company may be denied.
• Scope – Programs that serve a larger audience or which have a greater impact on the medical community may receive greater consideration than those of limited scope.
• Location – The event’s venue must be appropriate and conducive to achieving its educational objectives. The company reserves the right to reject a request if the venue appears inappropriate.
• Budget – The company will assess the reasonableness of the event’s detailed budget provided by the requestor, ensuring components appear in line with fair market value. The company may reject a request or award a lesser amount based on the event’s budget or due to internal education grant budget constraints.

All approved awards are made via a restricted grant from DePuy Spine to a CME provider or an appropriate not-for-profit institution, which must sign a grant letter of agreement outlining the terms of the award before payment will be remitted. Education grants may not be funded directly by a sales representative. Awards cannot be granted to an individual, and the company does not approve multi-year commitments.

If an award is rejected, a written response will be provided to the requestor with an appropriate explanation for the decision.

Education grants can be submitted via our online application.

For more information on our education grants, please see our FAQs or Quick Reference Guide.

Travel Grants

A travel grant is intended to help defray the cost of conference attendance for a spine fellow or qualifying resident (in his/her last or second-to-last year of neurosurgical or orthopaedic residency) and may be provided to attend one appropriate clinical education program held in the continental United States each academic year. Programs must be consistent with AMA Guidelines, the AdvaMed Code, and any applicable state and local laws. The institution must select the traveler. The request must be submitted by the institution’s program director at least 8 weeks prior to the meeting; the company will not provide a retroactive award for a meeting that already has passed.

Examples of eligible training programs:

Annual meeting or other appropriate programs offered by major spine societies including:

• North American Spine Society
• Cervical Spine Research Society
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
• Orthopaedic Research Society
• American Association of Neurological Surgeons
• Congress of Neurological Surgeons
• Scoliosis Research Society
• Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America
• Non-CME Medical education programs offered by organizations approved by DePuy Spine’s Education Grant Committee

CME accredited cadaveric based training programs including but not limited to:

• Bethesda Spine Workshop
• Cleveland Clinic Spine Review
• Courses sponsored by St. Louis University Practical Anatomy Workshop

Non-clinical courses pertaining primarily to coding, reimbursement or other practice management topics, are not eligible for a travel grant.

All requests for funding are reviewed by the DePuy Spine Education Grant Committee, which generally meets once per month. Voting members of the committee include a cross-functional group of senior management members from Medical Affairs, Regulatory Affairs, Health Care Compliance, and the Law Department and more. Company associates from Sales and Marketing may provide input and background information on submitted requests but do not have a vote in award decisions. No employee or independent sales representative is authorized to commit grant funding without the approval of the Education Grant Committee.

To request a travel grant please submit a letter of request to DePuy Spine’s Medical Affairs department via our online application.

The letter must include the following information:

• The fellow/resident’s name and year in training program
• Amount required and a detailed budget, (coach airfare, reasonable hotel, meals, registration, etc.),
• The purpose (travel grant)
• The name, date, and location of the course
• The check designee (the name of the institution or foundation)
• The address where the check should be sent
• Additional details as deemed necessary by the institution

The student must be recommended by a faculty of the organization to which the fellow or resident belongs. The letter of request must be signed by the faculty member.

Travel grants can be submitted via our online application.

For more information on our education and travel grants, please see our FAQs or Quick Reference Guide.

Approved grants are awarded to a non-profit academic teaching institution and not to an individual or to a private practice. Requestors must disclose if other sources of funding have been secured. The DePuy Spine travel grant cap is $2,000 or a lesser amount based on the estimate. However, expenses should be submitted in their entirety.