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Health Equity Action Leadership (HEAL) Network Pilot Grants

Sponsored by 
Office of Faculty Development and Diversity
Funding: 
See maximum funding amount and funding details below
Eligibility: 
Academic Council Faculty
Clinician Educators
Medical Center Line Faculty
Applications closed 
Applications closed on May 31, 2023

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES
The Office of Faculty Development and Diversity of the Stanford University School of Medicine invites applications from junior and mid-career faculty members for pilot grants that support health equity projects under the mentorship of a senior faculty member. These grants are intended to support the advancement of health equity and health outcomes of populations that have been historically marginalized in the United States. Funds may be used to undertake research, clinical, or educational projects that promote health equity.

PRIORITY AREAS
Priority will be given to projects that advance health equity among historically marginalized populations in the United States. This includes but is not limited to racial and ethnic minority groups (Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, American Indian/ Alaska Native, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders), populations with less privileged socioeconomic status, sexual and gender minorities, underserved rural populations, and socially vulnerable populations such as those experiencing homelessness, the recently incarcerated, immigrants, and persons with disabilities. Priority will also be given to projects where the principal investigator has established a mentorship agreement with a senior faculty member. Example projects might examine health equity in relation to:

  • Health and Healthcare utilization and outcomes (e.g., incidence, prevalence, and mortality rates)
  • Healthcare access and quality
  • The effect of clinician and healthcare system biases
  • The role of state and local policies in different sectors (e.g., healthcare, labor, transportation, housing)
  • Community and culturally appropriate health promotion and disease prevention methods
  • The influence of geographic and place-based variations examined within social contexts
  • The effect of racism and other types of discrimination at multiple levels (structural, institutional, and personally mediated)
  • The role of social determinants of health and cognitive and behavioral factors in influencing preventive health behaviors and practices
  • Patient-reported outcomes
  • Intervention designed with community-based participatory methods
  • Intervention designed to reduce disparities
  • Developing and validating new measures of complex social constructs (e.g., structural racism) that are associated with health disparities and health inequities.
  • Comparative effectiveness of different health care or QI models
  • Clinician decision-making 
  • Health literacy and/or interpersonal communication in health settings
  • Cost effectiveness

Note the list above is meant to be suggestive and not exclusive. Other project areas related to health equity are welcome and encouraged.

SENIOR FACULTY MENTOR

The role of the Senior Faculty mentor, which should be described in the project proposal, will be to:

  • Ensure the proposed project meets project guidelines.
  • Assess project progress on a regular interval (e.g., quarterly) to determine if adjustments are indicated.
  • Notify the Faculty mentee if there are course or training opportunities that may help the mentee to reach their goals.
  • Provide guidance if challenges occur. 
  • Notify OFDD if the faculty mentee encounters challenges that are beyond the scope of the mentor.
  • Guide the mentee in preparing for the next stage of the study (e.g., manuscript or grant submission) using the pilot data.
  • The intensity and scope of the mentorship plan may understandably differ for a junior or mid-career applicant.
Eligibility: 
  • Open to School of Medicine faculty in all tracks, including clinician educators and instructors (Acting, and Affiliates are not eligible). Note: CE faculty PI waivers are not required for internal Stanford funding opportunities.
  • MD, PhD, or equivalent advanced degree.
  • Applications for projects from community-based, clinical, and basic science research areas will be considered.
  • Applicants must be a Clinical Instructor, Assistant Professor (all lines), or Associate Professor (all lines).
  • Applicants must identify a senior faculty member (Associate Professor or Professor) who will serve as a mentor for the project. The senior faculty member must agree to offer consultation for the project. The mentor is not required to focus on health equity work. An applicant might, for example, bring a health equity lens to the research of the senior mentor.
Requirements: 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

By Wednesday May 31, 2023, 5 p.m., please submit one PDF file containing the following in the order listed:

File name: Last name.HEAL Grant.2023.pdf

Please submit your proposal directly through the Seed Funding website.

1. Title page
Stanford University School of Medicine Office of Faculty Development and Diversity HEAL Pilot Grants

Proposal title: PI name, rank, department, address, phone number, email address

2. Proposal
Proposals should be no more than 2 pages, excluding references, and should include the following: 

  • Specific aims
  • Background, significance, preliminary work
  • Project design and methods
  • Description of how the proposed project would support the advancement of health equity at Stanford
  • Senior faculty mentor name, including brief role description 
  • Budget
  • Include items, amount, and justification
  • References

Format: single-spaced, ½ inch margins, Arial or Helvetica size 11 or larger font

3. NIH biosketch for PI and Senior Faculty Mentor
 

Maximum funding amount: 
$20000
Opportunity Type: 
Research
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Contact:

Magali Fassiotto
magalif1@stanford.edu