APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 30, 2023

The NIDA-AACAP Resident Training Award in Substance Use Disorders is a partnership between AACAP and NIDA CTN to fund NIDA Mentor-Facilitated Training Awards , a key component of the NIDA CTN Dissemination Initiative, supporting the development of expertise in SUD, especially OUD, through the completion of a mentor-supervised project focused on adoption and/or dissemination of SUD treatment research and the publication of the results.

The goals of this award are:

1. To promote the dissemination of SUD research findings, thereby improving knowledge and ultimately the utilization of evidence-based SUD treatment among health care providers 
2. To facilitate the professional growth and development of future clinician leaders in SUD management.

The NIDA-AACAP Resident Training Award provides up to one year of support to general and child and adolescent psychiatry residents to support training in dissemination of research. Through support from this program, the awardee will engage in a mentored opportunity to learn about key areas of SUD and SUD treatment strategies through their project, attendance at conferences and workshops, and interaction with leading experts in the field.

This award cannot be used to conduct basic or a clinical trial. Applications proposing non-exempt research involving human subjects that must be reviewed by an IRB under the requirements of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations at 45 CFR part 46 will not be eligible. Secondary data analysis of treatment research datasets may be completed in pursuit of award goals, provided the project proposed is eligible for Institutional Review Board (IRB) exemption and displays merit to impact on or increase the adoption of evidence-based practices. In addition, applications that propose recruiting participants are not eligible.

The award offers up to $10,000 for program support (award amount includes travel to AACAP's 71^st Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA, October 14-19, 2024; and travel to the NIDA Clinical Trials Network's Annual Meeting in Bethesda, MD, Fall 2024) and $2,000 for a mentor stipend. Funds may be used for educational and resource materials/courses. (All awards are contingent upon the receipt of adequate funding support.)

PURPOSE OF THE AWARD

The purpose of the award is to enhance the trainee’s ability to disseminate and/or adopt evidence-based SUD treatment practices through a mentored project that will:

• Engage the awardee in a one-year mentored experience that provides an opportunity to learn about key areas of SUD and SUD treatment strategies and the effective dissemination of existing research findings. The year-long experience culminates in the completion of an educational/quality improvement/dissemination project that addresses educational or knowledge gaps that the awardee identifies.
• Foster interest in either a clinical career providing evidence-based management of SUD in medical settings or pursuing their own research interests in the field.

Awardee projects will be shared at group virtual meetings as well as at the annual NIDA CTN Steering Committee Meeting. The awardee is strongly encouraged to develop a manuscript of their project for submission for publication in a peer-reviewed journal after completion of the MFT year.

MENTORSHIP

The mentor should have experience in dissemination and implementation science or clinical treatment and/or research experience in the field of substance use disorders. The mentor is responsible for:

• Providing a letter of support of the awardee, including plans for regular phone or video meetings over the course of the award year;
• Assisting with planning and execution of the awardee’s project;
• Assisting with developing a poster and PowerPoint presentations. Awardees are encouraged to develop a project related to work done by their mentor. A mentor stipend will be provided, and more than one mentor may be proposed.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICATION SUBMISSION

Please submit the following required items at https://ctnmftapplications.org/ or the Apply Button by November 30, 2023. 
**Select AACAP as the Sponsoring Organization in the application.
See Application Instructions  for further details. 

• An abstract, candidate statement, project description, project protocol, timeline for the award year, budget and budget justification, literature cited, and other support. The project description will include objectives, background information, and method or proposed activities.
• A letter detailing any current and previous funding.
• The applicant’s and mentor’s current biographical sketch (biosketch) or CV.
• A letter of support from the proposed mentor.
• A letter of support from the current department chair (or appropriate program director).
• A letter of support from a proposed co-mentor (if applicable).

PROJECT EXAMPLES AND RECOMMENDED TOPIC AREAS

Clinically relevant applications with a focus on treatment of SUDs and the dissemination of research findings of evidence-based practices into clinical settings. To this end, awardees will develop and execute a plan designed to increase their own clinical knowledge of the management of SUD, especially OUD. They will then design and complete a project aimed at the dissemination of existing SUD treatment research findings.

This award cannot be used to conduct basic or clinical research studies or trials. Secondary data analysis of treatment research datasets may be completed in pursuit of award goals, provided the project proposed is eligible for Institutional Review Board (IRB) exemption and displays merit to impact on or increase the adoption of evidence-based practices.

Examples of appropriate activities and projects include but are not limited to:

• Identify curriculum training gaps in SUD and choose research findings and/or products developed by NIDA or other professional associations that could bridge such gaps. Disseminate the identified information through a series of lectures, seminars, etc.
• Develop materials that could be used for quality improvement or integration of an evidence-based approach or process in the management of SUD in a medical setting and conduct activities for quality improvement.
• Analyze de-identified data from completed clinical trials such as those found on the NIDA Data Share website to inform dissemination efforts; characterize the availability of data on substance use or practice patterns; identify gaps in the provision of evidence-based practices; and identify needs for dissemination.
• Other activities consistent with the goals of the Dissemination Initiative to accelerate the dissemination of research findings into clinical practice.

Please see here for a list of previous awardees and their projects

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES AND REQUIREMENTS

• Applicants must be enrolled in a fully accredited general psychiatry or child and adolescent psychiatry clinical research or training program, or triple board program and be at the PGY2 level or higher.  
• Candidates must not have any current or previous significant, individual project funding in the field of child and adolescent mental health. Candidates should not have had previous or simultaneous funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or other research funding sources. Eligible candidates will not have a career development award.   
• Applicants must either be AACAP members or have a membership application pending (not paid by the award) and agree to submit a proposal for a poster presentation on his or her activities or project for, and attend AACAP's 71^st Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA, October 14-19, 2024. 
• Applicants must agree to attend the NIDA Clinical Trials Network's Steering Committee Meeting date to be determined in Spring, 2024 in Bethesda, MD. Cutting edge research will be presented at the NIDA CTN Steering Committee Meeting and awardees will have the opportunity to network with other clinicians and researchers in the field.
• Recipients must submit a poster on preliminary work for the NIDA CTN Steering Committee meeting in Spring 2024.
• All applicants must be available to attend a virtual orientation meeting held by The Bizzell Group, on behalf of NIDA, on January 24, 2024. 
• The trainee is required to participate in 3 virtual group check-in meetings to discuss the progress of their dissemination projects.
• All applicants are responsible for ensuring their own adherence to all federal research regulations, certifications and assurances. Institutional agreement of acceptance of their role and responsibility for the oversight of the award and proposed activities will be requested through the application process.
• Participants agree to participate in all annual surveys as part of the program evaluation process.    
  
   

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

Progress and Final Reports: The awardee and mentor(s) are required to submit a 6-month narrative progress report and a final narrative report at the end of the performance period to AACAP. Failure to provide the report may negatively impact your institution’s ability to apply for future awards. If the awardee’s project is not completed at the end of the designated performance period, and appropriate approvals to continue have been granted, the final report must still be submitted as an outline of work done and projections for work/expenditures remaining.

Publications: Publications will acknowledge the support of NIDA and AACAP. All work supported by the NIDA CTN Mentor-Facilitated Training Award should be made available to the public and scientific community through approved scientific channels such as national meetings and peer-reviewed publications. Two reprints of each publication should be forwarded to AACAP for subsequent submission to NIDA.

REVIEW PROCESS

Each application will be reviewed by researchers, program managers and/or clinicians who are involved and informed in dissemination of findings from the field of SUD. Each application will be judged primarily by the likelihood of producing dedicated, qualified clinicians and champions in the field of SUD medicine as indicated by 1) the qualifications of the applicant, 2) the qualifications of the mentor, 3) the overall merit of the training plan and project, 4) the adequacy of the proposed budget to meet the objectives, and 5) the willingness of the institution to provide the necessary facilities and support to complete the project as described.

• Administrative Review – Applications will be reviewed for submission of all application materials.  Incomplete applications or those that do not adhere to the application guidelines will not be forwarded for further review. Please ensure you meet the eligibility requirements and have submitted all requested application materials before finalizing your application.

• Selection & Review – Applications will undergo a competitive review process by senior child and adolescent psychiatrists with relevant expertise. Applications will be scored by the NIDA-AACAP Resident Training Award Program Selection Committee. The Selection Committee will prepare written reviews and score all applications. The review criteria are as follows: 
• Strength of the proposed activities or project plan, including conceptual or clinical framework, or information gathering plan; 
• Alignment with the goals of NIDA’s Dissemination Initiative;
• Feasibility of the proposed activities or project to advance scientific knowledge or clinical practice in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry; 
• The applicant’s commitment and potential to become a champion of SUD evidence-based treatment in general medical settings and/or career investigator in the SUD field; 
• Endorsement, support, and qualifications of the applicant; and
• Strength of commitment and support from the applicant’s host institution.  

AACAP reserves the right to cancel the award if terms and conditions are not met. AACAP maintains the right to waive informalities.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

All completed applications and attachments must be submitted by
11:59 pm EST on Wednesday, November 30, 2023.
Materials should be submitted through https://ctnmftapplications.org/.

Availability of all awards is contingent upon the receipt of adequate funding.

Last updated: October 2023