The AcademyHealth New Investigator Small Grant Program (NISGP), in partnership with the Altarum Institute, Association of Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), and the March of Dimes (MOD), supports the early careers of new health services researchers by funding innovative, timely, and relevant research and/or translation activities that advance the vision of AcademyHealth of improving health and the performance of the healthcare system by generating evidence and moving evidence into policy and practice. As a part of the NISGP, new investigators are awarded $10,000 to conduct health services research in addition to professional development opportunities such as mentoring and in-person activities hosted at the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting and the National Health Policy Conference.
Why did you apply for the NISGP? New Investigators from the 2015 cohort share why they applied for the NISGP below.
"I applied to the AcademyHealth NISGP because I was looking for an opportunity to fund a small project to begin my research career. Obtaining funding is difficult for a new researcher and this program gave me not only funding for my project but also a nationally recognized mentor and a network of support."
- Melissa Bright, 2015 New Investigator
"Earlier on I had a very rewarding experience with an AcademyHealth Public Health Systems Research (PHSR) student scholarship. That’s how I knew AcademyHealth programs work very well to help new health services researchers develop their careers. I was very excited to know that NISGP provides both funding support and mentorships—both are important to a junior faculty. I was confident that the award would help advance my research line and overall academic career."
- Wendy Xu, 2015 New Investigator
"I applied for the NISGP to jump start my research on Medicare Advantage and performance measurement. The grant size and turnaround time was ideal because I was looking to get funding in my first year as an assistant professor."
- Eva DuGoff, 2015 New Investigator
What have you been able to accomplish via the NISGP so far? New Investigators from the 2015 cohort share their experiences below.
"My research focuses on the organization of public health systems and the relationship between different providers of population health activities. The NISGP has allowed me to really focus on analytical issues that arise when examining the participation of health care providers, like hospitals, in public health. So far, I have found that bias does exist in the relationships and have been able to work on broadening my methodological skills to add a more diverse set of analytical tools to my belt and testing how these methods can be used to build better models. I hope that this work also helps the larger community of health services researchers wanting to look at similar topics and add rigor to their analyses as well."
- Rachel Hogg, 2015 New Investigator
"My project examines how health reform in Massachusetts affected infant health outcomes. My AcademyHealth appointed mentor has worked closely with me to identify solutions to data and analytic challenges. As a neonatologist, he also brings to bear invaluable clinical experience, which I lack. Participation in the NISGP helped me build a funding track record that was instrumental in a successful application to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HSRA) secondary data analysis program."
- Michel Boudreaux, 2015 New Investigator
"My study aims to determine the prevalence of unintentional misuse of over-the-counter (OTC) sleep medication by older adults and their decision-making process in selecting and using these medications. Funding from the NISGP enabled me to administer a mail survey to over 2,100 older adults that are part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pepper registry. We have received survey responses from over 1,000 study participants. My AcademyHealth appointed mentor has provided invaluable feedback and direction on my survey data analyses and preparing my first manuscript for publication to report study findings. Through funding received, I have also been able to conduct follow-up telephone interviews with over 110 survey respondents. The NISGP facilitated an ongoing mentorship relationship that enabled me to receive feedback on my data collection tools. Study findings will enable development of patient-centered interventions that could be implemented in community pharmacies to improve sleep health."
- Olufunmilola Odukoya, 2015 New Investigator
