Application Dates & Deadlines
This funding opportunity is currently accepting applications.
Application RSVP required: Due by 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Application deadline: 5 p.m. Wednesday, August 12, 2026.
The submission link will be emailed to principal investigators (PI) who submit an RSVP.
Rush University is committed to advancing excellence and innovation in health professions education. To strengthen educational scholarship and build a robust health professions education research enterprise, the Office of the Provost invites applications for the inaugural Health Professions Education Research Grant Program.
The program will support educational research that advances the science of learning, improves educational practice, enhances learner success, develops the future health professions workforce, and contributes to evidence-based educational innovation. This program is informed by national priorities in health professions education and educational scholarship and encourages collaborative, interdisciplinary, and interprofessional research teams.
- Up to $25,000 in funding available for innovative health professions education research.
- Three competitive grants will support projects that advance teaching, learning, assessment, learner success, and workforce preparation.
- Priority will be given to collaborative proposals involving multiple professions, colleges, departments, or health system partners.
- Research topics may include competency-based education, clinical learning environments, educational technology and AI, interprofessional education, faculty development, and educational outcomes.
- Designed to generate presentations, publications, and preliminary data for future external funding while strengthening educational scholarship across Rush University.
More Information
On
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Funding Amounts and Availability
- This pilot funding awards three awards of up to $25,000 for one year.
- Projects must be appropriate in scope for completion of study aims within one year.
- No Cost Extensions (NCE) will not be allowed.
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Eligible Investigators
- The PI must hold an active faculty appointment at Rush University at the rank of assistant professor or higher.
- The PI must be eligible to conduct research under institutional policies.
- There are no citizen or residency requirements.
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Application Criteria
- One application per award cycle as PI or multiple PI (MPI).
- Collaborative teams are strongly encouraged. Preference will be given to proposals that include:
- Faculty from multiple Rush colleges
- Interprofessional teams
- University-health system partnerships
- Junior and senior faculty collaborations
- Students, residents, or fellows as research team members
- The project must be feasible within the applicable project period, unless otherwise specified.
- Applicants are encouraged to identify funding mechanisms (federal, non-federal, or other specific grant mechanisms) to support continued progress.
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Program Goals & Priority Research Areas
Program Goals
The program seeks to:
- Advance the science of health professions education
- Promote innovation in teaching, learning, and assessment
- Foster interdisciplinary and interprofessional educational scholarship
- Support the development of educational researchers and scholars
- Generate preliminary data for presentations, publications, and future external funding
Improve learner, educational, and workforce outcomes
Priority Research Areas Examples Learning, Competency, and Assessment
Research focused on how health professions learners acquire knowledge, skills, professional competencies, and readiness for practice.- Competency-based education
- Competency assessment
- Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs)
- Clinical reasoning and decision-making
- Professional identity formation
- Coaching and feedback
- Assessment methods and educational measurement
- Practice readiness and transition to practice
Clinical and Experiential Learning
Research focused on optimizing learning in clinical, simulation, community, and practice-based settings.- Clinical education models
- Clinical placements and experiential learning
- Preceptor and fieldwork educator development
- Simulation-based education
- Clinical supervision
- Learning environments
- Community-engaged learning
- Academic-practice partnerships
Learner Success, Faculty Development, and Workforce Preparation
Research that enhances learner achievement, faculty effectiveness, and preparation of the future health professions workforce.- Student recruitment, retention, and progression
- Learner well-being and resilience
- Diversity, belonging, and inclusive learning environments
- Faculty development and teaching effectiveness
- Faculty workforce development
- Professional identity development
- Workforce readiness and career transitions
Educational Innovation and Technology
Research evaluating innovative educational approaches and emerging technologies.- Artificial intelligence in health professions education
- Digital learning technologies
- Learning analytics and educational data science
- Technology-enhanced assessment
- Virtual and immersive learning environments
- Ethical use of emerging technologies
Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice
Research that prepares learners to work effectively across professions and disciplines.- Interprofessional education
- Team-based learning
- Collaborative competencies
- Communication and teamwork
- Interprofessional simulation
- Team science and collaborative practice
Educational Outcomes and Impact
Research examining the effectiveness and impact of educational interventions- Educational outcomes
- Program evaluation
- Educational quality improvement
- Links between educational practices and workforce outcomes
- Educational interventions that improve quality, safety, or patient care
- Translation of educational research into practice
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How to Apply
A submission link will be emailed to PIs who submit an RSVP. Proposals should be submitted in 2 files and include the following components:
File 1 in PDF format
- Cover Page
- Project title
- Names of MPIs, highest degree, position title, department/division, phone number, and email
- Total funding amount requested
- Statement indicating whether the proposed research overlaps, in whole or part, with any ongoing or previously submitted projects
- List of current Rush collaborators with whom MPIs have published or submitted grant applications within the past three years
- Budget
- Internal non-federal budget form (required). This file should be uploaded as File 2 in original format.
- NIH PHS 398 forms, pages 4 and 5 (required)
- Allowable costs: Faculty salary support (up to 20%), fringe benefits (22%), Rush nonfaculty/student salary support, and publication costs
- Not allowable: indirect costs or capital expenses
- Biographical Sketches
- Required for MPIs only
- Must follow the current NIH format
- Body of Application
- Formatting: 11-point Arial font with 0.5-inch margins
- Project summary/abstract in plain language (1 page)
- Specific aims (1 page)
- Research Strategy
- Significance, innovation, and approach (6 pages)
- Plan for Future Funding (1 page)
- Literature Cited (no limit)
- A form for the Department Chair/Division to acknowledge support of the application will be sent to the PI upon complete submission of the application.
File 2
Internal non-federal budget form (required) in original format.
- Cover Page
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Review Process
- A panel of non-competing researchers will review applications based on the new NIH three-factor review framework.
- Applications that demonstrate potential for future funding will be prioritized.
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Timeline
- Anticipated Award Letter: October 2026.
- Anticipated Funding Period: Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2027.
Contact Us
Norma Sandoval
norma_sandoval@rush.edu