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Research Scholars Program

This program aims to advance the scientific endeavours of new/early investigators (who have applied for or will shortly apply for a Career Development Award) whose goal is to become independent scientists actively involved in palliative care research.

Recipients of this scholarship will attend the Annual Kathleen M. Foley Palliative Care Retreat and Research Symposium of the National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC), cosponsored by the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA), American Cancer Society (ACS), Emily Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Foundation, and AAHPM.

The 2018 event will be held October 17 - 19, 2018, at the Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California.

About the Kathleen M. Foley Symposium

The retreat provides an opportunity to develop attendees' individual works in progress and competency with core methodologies that are essential to conducting palliative care research. 

The meeting format includes didactic lectures, small-group discussion by topic area and/or discipline, mock study sections, poster presentations, and networking opportunities. Retreat faculty will include representatives from AAHPM, members of the NPCRC Scientific Advisory Council and Scientific Review Committee, and representatives of ACS and the National Institutes of Health.

This breadth of participants provides a unique opportunity for interaction between new and established palliative care investigators. Recipients of the award will be expected to be present for the entire retreat and to submit a manuscript to the Journal of Palliative Medicine or the Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing within 2 years of the retreat. Nursing applicants are referred to HPNA's Research Scholars Program.

Intended Audience

The AAHPM Research Scholars Program is intended for individuals who are or will soon be applying for federal awards (eg, K award) or research funding awards (eg, R01, R03, or R21). Doctoral students will be expected to have an approved dissertation proposal.

Priority will be given to applicants who have a demonstrated commitment to an independent palliative care research career, in either a full or part-time academic appointment. Unless a candidate has transitioned to the field of palliative care at midcareer, preference will be given to those who completed their formal training no more than 5 years ago.

Eligibility

The successful applicant will

  • be an AAHPM member in good standing
  • currently be conducting research in palliative care
  • have an identified research mentor
  • have research papers on palliative care or end-of-life issues published or in press, preferably with at least one as first author, and
  • have applied for or recently received a Career Development Award


Previous recipients of the College of Palliative Care or HPNA Scholars Program awards, as well as previous recipients of NPCRC Pilot/Exploratory Grants and Career Development Awards and ACS Palliative Care Pilot/Exploratory Grant Awards, are not eligible for funding as an AAHPM Research Scholar. The Research Committee would welcome international AAHPM members to apply and would evaluate them all independent of their country status; if chosen, travel expenses would be covered.

Application Cycle

The application cycle for the 2018 retreat and symposium has closed. Please check back in February 2019 regarding the next cycle. 

Please direct any questions to Katherine Ast, Director of Quality and Research, by e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Submission Instructions

A completed application form and required supporting documents should be submitted together as Word or PDF documents attached to an e-mail message to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (subject line: Research Scholars Application).

New Research Scholar applicants should submit the following:

  • Completed application form (saved to your files for completion).
  • Applicant's curriculum vitae.
  • Brief, 2-page description of a current or planned research project, including topic, study questions, methodologies, populations, and future directions.
  • Research mentor's biosketch, not to exceed five pages. View the NIH Biosketch template.
  • Letter of support from research mentor.

Application Evaluation Criteria

Multiple peer reviewers will rate each application to the Research Scholars Program by indicating their agreement with each of the following statements:

  • The applicant is very likely to make an important contribution to our field.
  • The applicant is very likely to benefit from attending the retreat.
  • The applicant has had adequate training in research.
  • The applicant has a qualified and well-matched mentor.
  • The applicant's research area is very important to palliative care.
  • The applicant has a promising publication track record.
  • There is evidence that the applicant is well positioned to apply for external funding

Congratulations to Recent Awardees

2018 AAHPM Research Scholars

Jill M. Steiner, MD, Senior Fellow, Cambia Palliative Care Center of Excellence, University of Washington; Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington
Jennifer M. Snaman, MD MS, Physician, Psychosocial Oncology & Palliative Care and Pediatric Oncology; Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Myrick (Ricky) C. Shinall, Jr., MD PhD Assistant Professor of Surgery and Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Shayna E. Rich, MD PhD Associate Medical Director, Haven Hospice, Gainesville, FL
Naomi George, MD Emergency Medicine / Critical Care Fellow, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Critical Care
Amber R. Comer, PhD JD Assistant Professor, Health Sciences, Indiana University

2017 AAHPM Research Scholars

Claire K. Ankuda, MD MPH, Fellow, Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Nathan A. Boucher, DrPH PA MS MPA CPHQ, Advanced Fellow in Geriatrics, Durham VA Geriatric Research Education & Clinical Ctr., Veterans Health Administration, Chapel Hill, NC
Elizabeth Chuang, MD MPH, Palliative Care Attending Physician, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY
Alexis Coulourides Kogan, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Claremont, CA
Krista Lyn Harrison, PhD, Geriatrics Research Fellow, University Of California, San Francisco, Division of Geriatrics, San Francisco, CA
Erica C. Kaye, MD, Combined Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellow, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
Eliza (Leeza) M. Park, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N

2016 AAHPM Research Scholars

Prasanna Ananth, MD, MPH, Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Crystal E. Brown, MD, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Washington
Heather Coats, PhD, MS, APRN-BC, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Washington
Kei Ouchi, MD, Instructor of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Justin Sanders, MD, MSc, Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Megan Shen, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology in Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
Susan Wong, MD, Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington 

2015 AAHPM Research Scholars

Jessica Bauman, MD, Dana Farber Cancer Institute/Massachusetts General Hospital CancerCenter
Carey Candrian, PhD, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group
Kavita Dharmarajan, MD MSc, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Elizabeth Dzeng, MD MPH MPhil MS, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Nidhi Khosla, PhD MPH, University of Missouri
Danetta Hendricks Sloan, PhD MSW MA, NIH Clinical Center, Pain and Palliative Care

2014 AAHPM Research Scholars

Lilia Cervantes, MD, Denver Health Medical Center
Zara Cooper, MD MSc FACS, Brigham and Women's Physician's Organization
Kimberly Garner, MD JD MPH, Little Rock Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Department of Veterans Affairs
Ann Long, MD, University of Washington
Hilliary Lum, MD PhD, University of Colorado School of Medicine; Eastern Colorado Healthcare System
Eric Roeland, MD, UCSD Moores Cancer Center

2013 AAHPM Research Scholars

Areej El-Jawahri, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital & Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
David Hui, MD MSc, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Dio Kavalieratos, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, Division of General Internal Medicine
Elizabeth Loggers, MD PhD, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Group Health Research Institute
Jessica S. Merlin, MD MBA, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Katherine Ornstein, PhD MPH, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Tara Schapmire, PhD MSSW, University of Louisville School of Medicine

2012 AAHPM Research Scholars

Jonathan Bergman, MD, UCLA; West LA VA Greater Health System
Stephanie Gilbertson-White, PhD RN, University of Pittsburgh
Liza-Marie Johnson, MD MPH MSB, St Jude Children's Research Hospital
Thomas William LeBlanc, MD MA, Duke University
Abby R. Rosenberg, MD, Seattle Children's Hospital; University of Washington
Melissa W. Wachterman, MD MPH MSc, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing