The American Academy of Physicians (AAPA) and the Research Institute of the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) have announced a jointly sponsored grants program supporting research on the PA profession. Awards of up to $20,000 will be made at the PAEA Semiannual Meeting in May 2006. The deadline for submission of proposals has been extended until January 30, 2006. Following are the guidelines for the research grants:

GUIDELINES

Mission

The AAPA/PAEA Research Grants Program encourages research on the PA profession, particularly in the area of the profession’s contribution to the health care workforce, characteristics of PA practice, and research that would contribute to more effective utilization of PAs in the future.

Objectives

1. To promote quality research on the PA profession, particularly in the area of PA utilization in the health care workforce

2. To increase the quality and quantity of evidence to support the PA profession’s future policy decisions

Funding

Grant requests may be made for any amount up to $20,000. Proposed budgets exceeding this amount must specify sources of additional funding. Several smaller awards may be made, depending on the quality and quantity of proposals received. Grants will be awarded within six months of the submission deadline.

Priorities

Priority will be given to proposals that address PA practice characteristics, workforce issues, cost-effectiveness, and contributions to patient safety and health outcomes.

Quality of the research design will also be considered. A good research design includes an introduction well grounded in the literature; specific, answerable research questions and/or hypotheses; a study design that minimizes alternative explanations of the results; research subjects of sufficient number to ensure that a predicted outcome will be found, if it exists; and accurate choice of analytic methods for processing information from the study.

Eligibility Criteria

1. The principal investigator (PI) must be affiliated with an institution and must specify the name of the institution in the proposal. The PI is responsible for completion of the project and for submitting a one-year status report. The PI is also responsible for submission of any required final reports, presentations at conferences, and publications.

2. A research question or research project should be the focus of the study. Funds will not be disbursed for development of new programs, new curricular materials, or other development-oriented projects.

3. Grant funds may be used for material and operations, as well as labor, personnel, or consulting costs. Institutional support is encouraged. Indirect costs will not be allowed. Personal expenses for educational advancement, such as tuition or books; equipment or software; ongoing projects to improve classroom or research facilities; expenses associated with disseminating the research results, such as poster preparation; the cost of attending meetings or conferences; and manuscript preparation will not be allowed.

4. Proposals must include a timeline adequate to conduct the study, but should be no longer than two years.

5. A final study report must be submitted to the AAPA/PAEA Research Grants Program within 90 days of the end of the study. A publication manuscript or presentation abstract may be submitted as a final study report. The project will be deemed complete when the final report has been approved by the AAPA/PAEA Research Grants Program.

6. The AAPA/PAEA Research Grants Program encourages dissemination of study results in professional forums, but the program and its sponsoring groups will not review, direct, or limit publication or other dissemination of results of a study receiving financial support.

7. Investigators will be responsible for obtaining institutional approval as required by their sponsoring institutions, as well as any approval necessary for performing surveys on specific groups.

Research Proposal Format and Specific Requirements

Proposals will be subjected to a blinded review process. Requirements for submission of a proposal to the AAPA/PAEA Research Grants Program are as follows:

1. The title page, abstract, background or rationale, research question, objectives, methods or evaluation, and personnel cannot exceed seven pages in length (not including references, budget, timeline, any proposed survey instrument, and abridged CVs, not to exceed two pages).

2. Proposals must be in Microsoft Word 97 or higher format (Mac or PC).

3. Proposals must be in 12-point type, with 1.5-line spacing, 1-inch margin left and right, and left margin justified. Typeface choices are Times New Roman, Arial, Courier New, or Tahoma.

4. The proposal must be submitted electronically (paper submissions will not be accepted), no later than midnight of the due date.

Format

Page Requirements

The following items must be included; however, these are not included in the page count:

• Budget requested and timeline to complete the study. The budget should include PI, time commitment, activity, and cost as the first line and each person in the project listed below in the same manner. Budget should be sufficiently detailed to account for how personnel will be utilized as well as to explain and justify any other requested expenses.

• Abridged curriculum vitae (CV) should be attached for all individuals involved in the project. CVs are not included in the page limit; however, each CV should not exceed two pages and should be submitted as separate attachments.

• If the project involves administering an existing survey instrument, a copy of the instrument should be attached. Such attachment(s) will not be included in the page limits.

Proposals should be e-mailed as Microsoft Word attachments by midnight January 30, 2006, to Eileen Evans, eevans@apap.org. If you do not receive a confirmation within a few days of submission, please call 703/836-2272, ext. 3415, to confirm that your submission has been received.

If you have questions about the grants program, contact AAPA/PAEA Research Grants Program Co-chairs Jim Cawley at purljfc@aol.com or 202/416-0487; or Rick Dehn at richard-dehn@uiowa.edu or 319/335-8925.