TF-2 Grant Writing Elective for Resident Physicians

Abstract

Emergency medicine residents with an interest in research have the unique opportunity to pursue a resident research grant during training. A resident research grant provides valuable research experience, a potential peer-reviewed publication, and may provide preliminary data for future research grant applications. While there are grant writing programs available for faculty, no structured training program is available specifically for resident physicians interested in pursuing a research grant. The goal of this 1-week elective is to instruct emergency medicine resident physicians in the principles of scientific grant writing. Study Objective: During this 1-week elective, the resident physician will: (1) Develop an understanding of the key components of a research grant; (2) Demonstrate knowledge of basic grant preparation; (3) Identify a testable research question; (4) Determine the study design for the research question; and (5) Formulate specific aims for a resident research grant with mentorship from an experienced, funded investigator with a dedicated commitment to mentoring grant writing elective participants. The learner will read “Guide for Writing the Resident Research Grant that Will Be Funded,” and will view videos prepared by career researchers on the key components of a successful research grant including specific aims, research project, budget, letters of support, and biosketches. Each video contains tips for successful grant writing and pitfalls to avoid from investigators who have successfully obtained research grants. Throughout the elective week, the resident physician will meet with an experienced investigator with a dedicated commitment to this elective. The mentorship meetings will be designed to review and reinforce the content in the written materials and videos. In addition, the mentor and resident will discuss research study opportunities and through this mentored relationship, the resident will formulate specific aims for the resident research grant. At the end of the elective, the resident physician will present their specific aims at the departmental research meeting and will receive written and verbal feedback on the project. Resident physicians will evaluate the grant writing elective using an online anonymous survey tool. After completing this 1-week elective in grant writing, resident physicians will be able to successfully create the specific aims section of a grant. This elective will provide resident physicians with a foundation in the skills necessary for a successful research grant application, thereby stimulating scholarly activity among residents with an interest in academia.