Application Cycle for 2024 Projects
Now OPEN!
Letter of Intent Instructions
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Award Objectives
In 2013, the Research Committee of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) established the Early Simulation Career Research Award Program (formerly the SSH Novice Research Grant Program) to support the development of new investigators and research initiatives. The Society has awarded over 20 monetary awards to early career research projects in healthcare simulation.
Early career researchers developing methodologically sound simulation-based research projects using quantitative, qualitative, or hybrid, mixed-method approaches are sought for these awards. Studies that are both innovative and have strong potential for a positive impact on the simulation field are encouraged. The potential impact on the applicant’s career is also considered.
Funding Available
Research awards of up to $10,000 are available.
How to Apply
Step 1: Letter of Intent
The letter of intent (LOI) is a high-level outline of your research project, including the gap to be addressed through the research, the overall design/methodology planned to complete the project, your project timeline, budget, and supporting references.
Deadline for Letters of Intent (LOI) - Wednesday, August 2, 2023 - 5:00 PM Eastern (US)
Step 2: Invitation to Submit a Full Proposal
Upon completion of the LOI review process, selected applicants will be invited to submit a comprehensive and fully detailed proposal for further review and final consideration for funding.
Deadline for Full Proposals - October 15, 2023 - 5:00 PM Eastern (US)
Award Notification and Announcement
Awardees will be notified by December 1, 2023 and announced at the 25th International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH 2025), being held in Orlando, FL, USA, January 10-14, 2025.
Award Stipulations
Period of Funding
Projects must be completed within 18 months from the date of receipt of funds.
Progress Report
Principal Investigators receiving a grant award are required to submit a progress report at nine months and a final report at the end of the 18 months.
Publication and Presentation Requirements
Manuscripts resulting from awarded studies must be submitted FIRST to Simulation in Healthcare, the official journal of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. If, during the peer review process, the manuscript is not accepted to Simulation in Healthcare, authors are free to submit the work to other journals of their choice.
An abstract resulting from the project must be submitted for presentation at a live or virtual SSH-sponsored educational program.
Applicant Eligibility
- The principal investigator (PI) may not have received more than $10,000 (USD) in previous research award funding.
- The PI may not have been the primary author on more than five peer-reviewed articles now in publication.
- One project submission will be accepted from each PI.
- Mentorship from an experienced researcher is required. The mentor must be listed as a project investigator.
- Co-investigators other than the project mentor are encouraged, though not required.
NOTE: Only one project submission will be accepted from each Principal Investigator.
Scope of Project
- Studies that are both innovative and have strong potential for a positive impact on the simulation field are encouraged
- A comprehensive range of sound empirical research methods will be considered (e.g. qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods)
- Projects should not be related to funding for current or future academic research required for degree completion
- Projects in receipt of funding from non-SSH sources will not be considered
- Award funding is not intended for review projects (e.g. scoping reviews, meta-analysis, systematic reviews)
- Award funding may be used for PILOT projects that are intended to lead to larger investigations
Budget Parameters
Award funding may be used for:
- Personnel costs - up to 40% (e.g. stipends for faculty/staff/graduate students/trainees, research assistants, project managers, statisticians, data analysts, subject matter experts, consultants, standardized participants (SPs)
- Equipment/material costs - up to 50% (e.g. VR headsets, task trainers, wearables, computers, software, printing, paper, cloud storage, questionnaires, licensed tools)
- Study participant support - up to 10% (e.g. gift cards, food and beverage support, parking)
Award funding may not be used for:
- Travel
- Conference and event fees
- Membership fees
- Professional development fees (e.g. tuition for educational programs or certification)
- Indirect costs (e.g. organizational administrative support, organizational equipment, rental of space, utilities).
Letter of Intent (LOI) Requirements
Submission Process
Applicants are required to submit the Letter of Intent to the SSH Presenter Center, using this link:
SSH Presenter Center
In order to access the LOI submission form, applicants will first need to login to the SSH website at ssih.org .
Membership in the Society is NOT required for application to the award program.
Applicants will receive a confirmation email when the submission has been completed and readied for peer review. Incomplete or nonconforming LOIs will not be forwarded for peer review.
Ethics Review and Human Subject Protection
All proposals submitted must include evidence of submission to the Ethics Review Board at the institution where the proposed work will take place, regardless of whether human subjects are used. Documentation of approval or exemption of the project by the review board is not required at the time of proposal application but will be required before the funding of the project.
Background (1,000 characters, includes spaces)
A succinct overview of the field to be studied, including what is known about the topic and what remains to be explored is required. Describe how and why the proposed research will advance understanding in the field or bridge gaps in knowledge. The background literature should also include any supporting theoretical or conceptual framework as dictated by the specific research areas.
Research Question (1,000 characters, includes spaces)
Describe the research question driving the project and the need for the project within the field of healthcare simulation. Projects that can be broadly applied to the field of simulation are encouraged. List the goals and objectives of your study (e.g. to test the hypothesis of your research question). The hypothesis must be clearly stated for quantitative research. For qualitative research, a hypothesis is not necessary, but guiding research questions should be stated instead. Specific aims for the project should also be clearly stated.
Research Methodology (1,000 characters, includes spaces)
Clearly describe the methodology planned for the project, including the research framework intended. It is often useful to organize this section by listing each aim followed by the specific methodology that will be used to accomplish that aim. Other important components can include proposed inclusion and exclusion criteria for subjects, well defined outcome measures, proposed statistical testing, anticipated sample size, and the overall data collection and management strategy. Be as specific as possible.
Project Timeline (1,000 characters, includes spaces)
Provide a timeline overview for project completion within the 18-month time period.
Budget (1,000 characters, includes spaces)
A high-level budget summary must be included, followed by a detailed budget justification explaining how the award funds will specifically be used. The budget justification must demonstrate that adequate support and time will be dedicated toward completion of the stated goals.
References (Include no more than 10 references)
Questions?
Contact Kathryn Adams, MA at kadams@ssih.org
About SSH
The Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) was established in January 2004 to represent the rapidly growing group of stakeholders who utilize a variety of simulation techniques for education, assessment, and research in health care. The membership, now numbering over 4,000, is united by its desire to improve healthcare worker performance and reduce errors in patient care using all types of simulation tools including computer screen-based simulators, task trainers, human patient simulators, virtual reality, hybrid devices, and standardized patients. We are a broad-based, multi-disciplinary, multi-specialty, international society with ties to medical specialties, nursing, allied health paramedical personnel, technologists, and industry.
WINNERS - 2020 SSH Novice Research Grant
2020 Novice Research Grant Award: Simulation Training and Assessment in Interventional Cardiology Principal Investigator: Yao Xiao, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
2020 Novice Research Grant Award: Increasing Pediatric Readiness in Critical Access Hospitals: An In-Situ Simulation Based Improvement Program Principal Investigator: Emily Mathias, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
2020 Novice Research Grant Award: Validation of Using Video-Based Simulation to Assess Task Mental Representations Principal Investigator: Vicky JH Yeh, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
WINNERS - 2019 SSH Novice Research Grant
2019 Novice Research Grant Award: Pediatric Sepsis Readiness in Latvian Emergency Departments: A Simulation-Based Trial Principal Investigator: Reinis Balmaks, MD, Riga Stradins University, Latvia
2019 Novice Research Grant Award: Examining Relationships of the Simulation Faculty Workload Model Principal Investigator: Nikki Blodgett, PhD, RN, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
2019 Novice Research Grant Award: ESimulation-based Mastery Learning for the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Principal Investigator: Brittany Dahlen, BAN, RN, CCRN-K, CPHON, CPN, Children's Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota
WINNERS – 2018 SSH Novice Research Grant
2018 Novice Research Grant Award: Determining the interval of training required for competence and creating a Musculoskeletal Workshop with Simulators for Primary Care Physicians in Training Principal Investigator: Mary Lan, MD, Trippler Army Medical, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
2018 Novice Research Grant Award: Does Simulation-Based Teaching Reduce CT Scans in Children with Very Low Risk Head Trauma Principal Investigator: Ilana Harwayne-Gidansky, MD, MA, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, Stony Brook, New York, USA.
2018 Novice Research Grant Award: Use of Asynchronous Learning & Online Mentoring as a Low Cost Solution to Develop Simulation Educators in Indian Subcontinent Principal Investigator: Asit Misra, MD, MEM, OhioHealth Learning, Columbus, OH, USA.
WINNERS - 2017 SSH Novice Research Grant
2017 Novice Research Grant Award: Entrustable Professional Activities: Can Simulation be Used to Assess Competency? Principal Investigator: Tiffany Moadel, Leigh Evans, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
2017 Novice Research Grant Award: How Does Variation of Moulage Authenticity Impact Engagement of Participants in a Simulation? Principal Investigator: Jessica Stokes-Parrish, University of Newcastle School of Medicine, Hunter Region, Australia.
2017 Novice Research Grant Award: Socioeconomic Bias: Impact on Physician Decision-making and Patient Safety. Principal Investigator: Heather Fasano, Carolinas Healthcare System, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.
2017 Novice Research Grant Award: Implementation of Mental Skills to Enhance Medical Students' Performance. Principal Investigator: Nicholas Anton, MS, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
WINNERS - 2016 SSH Novice Research Grant
2016 Novice Research Grant Award: De-escalating Angry Caregivers: RCT for Pediatric Trainees Using an SP Curriculum. Principal Investigator: Sarah Hillgenberg, MD, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, USA.
2016 Novice Research Grant Award: Performance of an ED In-Situ Simulation Program Designed to Improve Sepsis Care. Principal Investigator: Lillian Wong, MD, Institute for Advanced Simulation and Learning (IMSAL), Bronx, New York, USA.
WINNER - 2015 SSH Novice Research Grant
2015 Novice Research Grant Award: Defining the Learning Curve for the Digital Labor Cervical Exam. Principal Investigator: Joshua F. Nitsche, MD, PhD, Wake Forest School of Medicine,Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
WINNER - 2014 SSH Novice Research Grant
2014 Novice Research Grant Award: Interprofessional Education in Pharmacology using High-fidelity Simulation. Principal Investigator: Brittney Meyer, PharmD, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota, USA.
Questions?
For questions, please contact the Kristyn Gadlage at the SSH Office of Accreditation.
Apply Now