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MIDP Conference Reimbursement

The Medical Innovators Development Program has limited travel funds available for eligible MIDP students presenting research. Conference travel reimbursement awards must be approved by the MIDP Director, Ryan Buckley. Once approved, please follow the guidelines below.

Request Funding

We are pleased to announce a funding opportunity to support your professional development and the dissemination of your valuable work. The MIDP program will be awarding up to three students per year with up to $850 each to help cover conference expenses.

This award is intended to support MIDP students who will be presenting MIDP research or work at a related academic or professional conference.

Travel Approval and Reimbursement Process

Eligibility: Ensure you will be presenting MIDP research or work at the conference you plan to attend.

Request Submission: Send an email to MIDP Director, Ryan Buckley, MD (ryan.j.buckley@vumc.org) and Betsy Sloan (betsy.sloan@vanderbilt.edu) to request this award. In your email, please include:

  1. Your name
  2. The name and dates of the conference you plan to attend
  3. The title of your presentation
  4. A brief description of the MIDP research or work you will be presenting
  5. An estimated budget of your conference expenses (registration, travel, accommodation, etc.)

Approval Process: Your request will be reviewed, and if approved, you will receive an official approval email from us.

To ensure a smooth reimbursement process, please carefully review and follow the next steps outlined below. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE APPROVAL BEFORE YOU TRAVEL, YOU CANNOT RECEIVE REIMBURSEMENT.

Booking Guidelines

  1. Book flight via Concur only: This is an institutional VU policy. If you book airfare outside of Concur, it is NOT eligible for reimbursement. You must book the lowest available coach airfare that meets your travel needs. Log in to Concur.
  2. Hotel Bookings: We recommend booking your lodging through Concur for your convenience and potential benefits. However, if you find a lower rate elsewhere (e.g., through a conference-sponsored hotel), we will still reimburse that cost. You can also book directly with the hotel. Please note that bookings made through third-party websites like Kayak or Hotels.com are not eligible for reimbursement.
  3. Receipts: It is essential to retain all original receipts for your expenses, such as the final hotel bill showing payment, cab fare, or Lyft/Uber. We strongly recommend taking photos of your receipts with your phone as a backup. Please note that certain expenses, including meals, alcohol, and entertainment, are not reimbursable.

Travel Reimbursement

  1. No later than 1 week after the date of your return: Email all travel-related receipts to Betsy (betsy.sloan@vanderbilt.edu) for pre-approval. Late submissions may be denied reimbursement.
  2. Betsy will respond to you within a week with approval and instructions to submit your expense report in Oracle. If you do not, MIDP may refuse reimbursement.
  1. Within 1 week of receiving your receipt submission approval email: Once you receive Betsy’s receipt approval and instructions, you must submit your expense report in Oracle.

Approved Expenses Guidelines

The following are general guidelines you must follow to qualify for MIDP reimbursement. Please refer to the Vanderbilt University Travel & Business Expense Policy for complete details. Note: Expenses for meals, alcohol, and personal entertainment will NOT be reimbursed by MIDP.

Acceptable Receipts

Original, itemized, separate, and final receipts for every expenditure are required. We cannot reimburse expenses without proof that you paid.

  • Appropriate receipts should include transaction amount, itemization of goods or services purchased, method of payment (e.g., last 4 digits of card), date, and merchant name.
  • We cannot reimburse Venmo receipts.
  • For electronic receipts (e.g., Uber, Lyft), you must save the entire email as a PDF and attach it to your expense report.

Flights

MIDP does not reimburse expenses for non-conference-related stops or side trips.

Mileage

If you drive instead of flying, mileage costs will be calculated based on the VU Finance mileage rate. You need to upload a copy of a Google Maps (or a comparable version) mileage calculation for reimbursement. If your travel exceeds 1000 miles, you must provide a round-trip airfare cost comparison. Vanderbilt will reimburse the less expensive option.

Splitting Costs

If you plan to split expenses with others, get separate receipts. Do not charge the entire expense to one student’s card and have the other student pay his/her portion in cash. In order for you to be reimbursed for your portion, there must be a record of payment. This is true for all expenses. Have the hotel split the cost of the room on separate receipts when you are booking.

Using Credits

If you use your mileage or hotel points, ride-sharing credits, etc., you will not be reimbursed.

Hotels

You are welcome to extend your hotel stay beyond the conference dates (with formal approval for your absence), but MIDP will only reimburse hotel nights directly related to the conference. Any additional, non-conference-related nights must be billed separately or clearly itemized on your hotel bill

Additional Information

International Travel

VU requires students traveling abroad to register their trip. For details and further requirements regarding international travel, please visit the Global Education Office website. Note: all expenses must be converted to US dollars for your Oracle submission.

FOR ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT BETSY SLOAN 

betsy.sloan@vanderbilt.edu