F. Daniel Duffy
Small Grants Program
To honor the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) former Executive Vice President—and to promote efforts to engage physicians in quality assessment and improvement at the earliest stage of their careers—ABIM and the ABIM Foundation have established the F. Daniel Duffy Small Grants Program. The program is intended to support research projects that evaluate how ABIM's Practice Improvement Modules (PIMs) and other quality improvement tools can be used to enhance the training of residents and fellows in those competencies that are essential to modern quality improvement.
(To learn more about PIMs see What is an ABIM PIM? in the FAQ below.)
Dr. Duffy came to ABIM in 1997, following a very distinguished career as a medical educator and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Oklahoma. He has been the architect for, and the driving force behind, ABIM's PIMs; a set of tools that can help doctors think about quality improvement in a new way.
Request for Applications
ALL GRANT SLOTS HAVE BEEN FILLED FOR THE 2008-2009 ACADEMIC YEAR. A REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2009-2010 ACADEMIC YEAR WILL BE POSTED IN FALL 2008.
The small grants program provides an opportunity for trainees and faculty to do focused projects in practice-based learning and improvement and systems-based practice. For complete information on this program including study details and eligibility criteria, please review the Request for Applications.
Application Form
To apply, please complete steps one and two outlined below. The application deadline is rolling—we will review applications on an ongoing, first come, first served basis until all funds have been committed for the year. Once all grants have been awarded, we will no longer accept applications.
More than one trainee may be involved in the project. All applications must include a Principal Investigator (PI) who is a faculty member.
Step 1
Complete the online application form.
Step 2
Submit the following to duffygrants@abim.org:
- A brief proposal using the following format.1 Proposals that do not use this format will be returned.
- Define the problem.
- Identify key stakeholders.
- Provide evidence of a needs assessment (a root cause analysis is recommended, but not required). If a needs assessment has not yet been conducted, please describe the process and tools you will use to identify potential improvement areas.
- Describe the process (not an intervention) you will use for choosing a quality improvement intervention.
- How will staff be involved in the project? Who will you call on to participate? How will project participants communicate with each other?
- Describe your plan for the evaluation/assessment of the intervention (outcome goals and indicators of success).
- Describe your plan for evaluating trainee outcomes related to PBL&I and SBP. For example, you may choose to use a pre and post test of knowledge and attitudes. (ABIM can provide you with a tool for measuring pre and post quality improvement knowledge and attitudes.)
- How will this project help achieve the goal of teaching and evaluating trainee competence in PBL&I and SBP?
- Provide an overall budget for your project.
- Letter of support from faculty collaborator (PI of the study) if study proposal is not written by the PI
- Curriculum vitae of trainee (or trainees, if applicable) and PI
FAQ
Q. What is an ABIM PIM?
A. An ABIM PIM is a web-based product that includes a chart abstraction tool, patient surveys, a survey of the practice system, and a quality improvement planning tool. It is broken into two parts: Data Collection and Improvement Plan. Using the PIM, you can see how processes and outcomes of care in a clinical setting compare with national guidelines. For additional information, a tutorial, and demonstration modules, visit Using PIMs in Residency & Fellowship Programs.
Q. How do I apply?
A.
Complete the brief online application form and submit a succinct proposal by email to duffygrants@abim.org.
Q. What are the criteria necessary to apply?
A. Applicants must write a brief proposal using the format outlined above. Given the size of these small grants, more formal research designs and evaluation methodologies are not practical for most programs. The projects should be structured so that the trainee can complete the project within six to 12 months (e.g. during an academic year cycle). Applicants who are not faculty, will be required to identify a faculty collaborator.
Q. How are applicants selected?
A. The selection of awardees will be largely first come, first served among those who meet the criteria for research design. For award consideration, proposals must include a meaningful measurement and evaluation plan for assessing at least one area of impact of the PIM or other quality improvement tool. Preference will be given to trainee-initiated proposals; however, all potential awardees must have identified a faculty collaborator. Applications meeting these threshold criteria will be asked to participate in a brief phone interview with a member of the ABIM Research Group to elaborate on the project proposed.
Q. How soon after I apply will I be notified if I am selected?
A. Applicants will be notified of their status four to six weeks after receipt of application.
Q. How much monetary support will ABIM give to each awardee?
A. The F. Daniel Duffy Small Grant Program will provide grants of up to $5,000 to fund research over one year.
Q. How many small grants are there for the 2006-2007 academic year?
A. This year there is funding for approximately 8 small grants. If individual project budgets are less than $5,000, ABIM may be able to support more projects.
Q. What is required of me if I am accepted?
A. Awardees will be required to submit focused updates twice per year and a final report at the close of the project.
Q. If I am selected and using a PIM as part of my project, do I have to buy the PIM or is it included in my award?
A. The cost of the PIM will be waived for awardees.
Q. I have been awarded a F. Daniel Duffy Small Grant, what do I do if I have questions?
A. For questions regarding ordering or completing the PIM, please contact ABIM’s Contact Center at 1-800-441-2246 ext 4125, Monday thru Friday from 9am to 5pm EST.
For questions regarding the grant, please write to duffygrants@abim.org.
Q. If I am not selected, may I still use the ABIM PIM to pursue quality improvement?
A. Yes, you will still have the opportunity to target competencies in practice-based learning and improvement and in systems-based practice by using the PIMs. Using PIMs in Residency and Fellowship Programs familiarizes residents and fellows with key process and outcome measures used in disease treatment and prevention.
The cost of the PIM is $100 per module plus $25 per participant. Supervising attending physicians can participate at no additional charge.
Q. I’ve already completed a PIM, can I still apply for this grant?
A. Yes, previous experience does not disqualify you from applying.
1 Leenstra JL, Beckman TJ, Reed DA, Mundell WC, Thomas KG, Krajicek BJ, Cha SS, Kolars JC, McDonald FS. Validation of a method for assessing resident physicians' quality improvement proposals. J Gen Intern Med. 2007;22:1330-1334.
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