Research Scholars Program

This program aims to advance the scientific endeavors 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 2024 Kathleen M. Foley Palliative Care Retreat and Research Symposium will be held September 25-27, 2024 at Cliff House in Maine.

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 mid-career, 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 the press, preferably with at least one as first author, and
  • be preparing to or have applied for 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 2024 Research Scholars application cycle closed on April 1, 2024

Please direct any questions to Director, Quality and Research, Katherine Ast at [email protected].

Congratulations Awardees

2024 AAHPM Research Scholars

Bethany-Rose Daubman, MD, FAAHPM, Massachusetts General Physicians Organization
Carine Davila, MD, MPH, Massachusetts General Hospital
Lyndsay DeGroot, PhD, RN, CNE, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Tessa Jones, PhD, LMSW, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Lingsheng Li, MD, MHS, University of California, San Francisco
Lauren Pollack, MD, MS, University of Washington
Casey Walsh, PhD, MSW, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Past Recipients

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