CALLING ALL EARLY CAREER CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY RESEARCHERS!

AACAP’s Research Committee is seeking applications for our fourth  annual child and adolescent psychiatry Early Research Career Colloquium!

Occurring at the 2022 AACAP/CACAP Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada, October 17-22, 2022, this one-day event is a unique opportunity for up to 15 early research career child and adolescent psychiatrists to receive a full day of mentorship from leaders in the field AND to secure ongoing regular mentorship by experienced child psychiatry researchers to bolster the chances of independent grant funding as a principal investigator (PI) of a career development (K) award or other equivalent National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant. Attendees of the 2019-2021 programs strongly agreed that they would recommend the program to other early career investigators.

The day-long program will include:

• Opening session providing an update on the NIH’s strategic plan and funding priorities relevant to child and adolescent psychiatrists. 
• Break-out groups led by nationally recognized and experienced research faculty from academic child and adolescent psychiatry research programs on topics such as:
• Career development;
• Identifying and networking with mentors;
• Addressing specific gender and underrepresented minority issues; and
• Discussing practical ways to achieve work-life harmony.
• Participants will present to their group and senior faculty member(s) a research proposal for review and critique.
• Closing session of networking for all attendees.

All participants will submit their research proposal prior to AACAP’s Annual Meeting and complete an evaluation following.

This colloquium is co-chaired by Kate Fitzgerald, MD (Columbia University), Lisa Fortuna, MD, MPH (University of California San Francisco), Manpreet Singh, MD, MS (Stanford University), and Daniel Dickstein, MD (Harvard University).

Ideal candidates are:

• MDs, DOs, MD/PhDs, or DO/PhDs
• Child and adolescent psychiatrists or triple board trained, or general psychiatry residents with a strong interest in child and adolescent psychiatry research
• Current trainees or within 5 years of completing fellowship
• Interested in submitting a K or equivalent grant application within the next 3 years
• AACAP has an ongoing strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. Applications by members of underrepresented populations in biomedical and clinical research are strongly encouraged. https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-20-031.html
• AACAP members or those with an AACAP membership application pending
• Preference will be given to those who have not participated in the past

Application Requirements

Submit all application materials to research@aacap.org by May 20, 2022.

• Application Form
• Two-page (1-inch margins, Arial 11-point font) statement of research interest. Please include the following:
• Your background and interest in research;
• Summary of draft project you will be submitting;
• What you hope to gain from the AACAP Research Colloquium; and
• Plan for grant submissions in the next 2 years.

• One-page letter of recommendation from mentor or training director about your research potential and interest.

• Please note: this event format will follow overall AACAP 2021 meeting format, including if it evolves into a remote or hybrid format.

Selection Process

The merit-based process, which takes place during June involves the following:

Administrative Review - Submissions are vetted for completion of required application materials. Incomplete applications 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 undergo a review process by an AACAP selection panel comprised of members of the Research Committee. These AACAP members with relevant expertise score each application factoring the following criteria:

• Candidate: A record of involvement in research-related activities.
• Career Development: Given the candidate's career development plan, the degree to which this event will impact the trajectory of the candidate's career.
• Research Plan: Quality of the overall proposed research - methods, study design, and evaluation.
• Feasibility: Given the candidate’s experience and support, the likelihood that the proposed research proposal will receive funding within 3-5 years.
• Mentorship: The candidate has (or the potential to have) one or more mentors with the appropriate research experience to provide guidance at a local level.
• Resources: The institution has and makes available adequate support, e.g., equipment, facilities, and interdepartmental collaboration, for the project to succeed.
• Originality: The product of this research will add significantly to existing knowledge.
• Presentation: Quality of application.
• Diversity: Candidate is a member of an underrepresented population in biomedical and clinical research and/or the research addresses diversity, equity, and inclusion (through population, topic, community partnership, etc.).

The selection process is finalized after the panel’s discussion of the overall top ranked proposals. Notifications will take place during the month of July.

Questions

Please contact AACAP’s Department of Research, Grants, and Workforce at research@aacap.org or call 202.966.7300 for additional information or questions.