Faculty Development News & Announcements, OCTOBER 2007 Edition
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Graduate Medical Education Innovative Grants   

Congratulations to the following investigators who were awarded GME Innovative Grants beginning spring 2007:
M. Kirk, K. Littlewood, and M. Martin: "Using HPS to Teach and Measure the Six ACGME Core Competencies"
E. Foreman, B. Hanrahan, S. Esau, and J. Truwit: "Sleep Disturbance in Physicians-in-Training"
B. Uthlaut, G. Hoke, K. Enfield, T. Hoke and J. Young: "Proposal to Establish and Assess a New Code 12 Education Curriculum".
J. Lyman and J. Voss: "Development of a Web-based Information System for Describing the Inpatient Clinical Experiences of Medicine Housestaff".

Request for Proposals: Graduate Medical Education Innovative Grants - Fall 2008: 
The GME office is currently soliciting Letters of Intent for its 2008 Innovation in Graduate Medical Education Awards Program. Letters should be approximately one page in length and should put forth ideas related to innovative techniques in graduate medical education, including but not limited to those that employ techniques involving simulation, or those which explore methods designed to fulfill criteria for the ACGME Outcomes Project. Letters will be reviewed by a selection committee, who will invite full applications for superior proposals. Full applications should be no more than 5 pages in length and must include expected outcomes, method of evaluation, personnel needs and budget. Grants will not exceed two years or $50,000 ($25,000/year). If a one year grant is awarded, a final abstract and presentation of data will be scheduled for the end of the year. If a two year grant is awarded, a progress report will be due at the end of the first year, and a final abstract and presentation of data will be scheduled for the end of the second year. All winners are expected to present their data at the Annual Graduate Medical Education Research Seminar.

2008 Time Table:
June 24-Call for proposals
July 15- Letters of intent due
August 15 - Invitations for proposal
October 1- Full applications due
November 1 - Notification of decision

Submit letters of intent to Susan E. Kirk, MD (Designated Institutional Official and Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education)

  The TRC Excellence in Diversity Fellowship Opportunity

This Teaching Resource Center Program offers incoming junior faculty one-year Fellowships to help them develop productive long-term careers at the University of Virginia. Originally funded by the Provost and by the Deans of Arts & Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the Program now receives permanent support from the University of Virginia. The EDF program exists to encourage and support the successful professional development of diverse faculty members, especially those who are underrepresented within their departmental context or the University of Virginia community. For full program information on the stipend, fellowship series, mentorship opportunity, and application process, please visit the Excellence in Diversity Fellowship Program pages of the TRC web site.

For a profile of prior EDF fellows from the School of Medicine, Geir Elgjo (Anesthesiology) and Susan Lashley (Ob/Gyn), please visit the Excellence in Diversity Fellows page on our SOM Faculty Development site.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funds about 900 unsolicited proposals annually (usually for three years at ~$100K per year, but varying widely among projects). There are no specific deadlines or forms. See their Web site at http://www.rwjf.org/applications/independent/overview.jhtml for application and review information. Proposals must fall within the following areas of interest:

  • Addiction Prevention & Treatment. Increasing the number of treatment settings employing approaches that have been proven to work.
  • Building Human Capital. Attracting, developing and retaining high-quality leadership and workforce to improve health and health care.
  • Childhood Obesity. Halting the increase in prevalence of overweight among children.
  • Disparities. Reducing racial and ethnic disparities in the care of targeted diseases.
  • Health Insurance Coverage. Supporting efforts to achieve stable and affordable health care coverage for all Americans.
  • Nursing. Reducing the shortage in nursing staff and improving the quality of nursing-related care by transforming the way care is delivered at the bedside.
  • Pioneer. Promoting fundamental breakthroughs in health and health care through innovative projects.
  • Public Health. Improving the strategic use of information and accountability measures by leaders to enhance performance and raise the visibility and impact of public health.
  • Quality Health Care. Accelerating performance improvements on nationally adopted measures of outpatient chronic care through local market demonstrations.
  • Tobacco Use & Exposure. Recruiting new funding partners to sustain the state and national tobacco policy change infrastructure and maintain policy gains and momentum through targeted grant making.
  • Vulnerable Populations. Promoting community-based projects that improve health and health care outcomes for society's most vulnerable people.

No basic research, research on drug therapies or devices, or international projects will be supported. Rather, the Foundation focuses on service demonstrations, gathering and monitoring of health-related statistics, training and fellowship programs, policy analysis, health services research, technical assistance, public education, communications activities, and evaluations.

School of Medicine Grant Program Funding Opportunities
from the SOM Office of Research

Research and Development Committee

  • Provides seed money for new faculty members and well-justified requests from established investigators who wish to develop new methods/reagents or to enter a new field. 
  • Awards generally limited to ~$35,000
  • Deadlines:  September 1, December 1, March 1, and June 1
  • Contact:  Jay W. Fox, Assistant Dean for Research Support (jwf8x@virginia.edu)

Interim support

  • Supports previously-funded research during a funding hiatus; investigator salary may be included in departmental cost-share (see below)
  • Maximum support: $100K (shared 25% department/center, 25% SOM, 50% VPR)
  • Deadlines:  March 5, June 5, and November 5
  • Contact:  Steven S. Wasserman, Assistant Dean for Research (ssw3an@virginia.edu)

Application guidelines and forms for these programs can be found on the Office for Research Web site. VP for Research and Graduate Studies programs are also listed on that Web page.