The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) provides an array of intramural and extramural predoctoral and postdoctoral educational, research infrastructure and career development grants and opportunities in health services research. In addition, the Agency supports the development of health services research infrastructure in emerging centers of excellence and works with Federal and academic partners to develop innovative curricula and educational models. The following is a list of training programs and support mechanisms with a brief description of each and further resources where available.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announces its continued interest in supporting the health services dissertation research small grant program. AHRQ supports research undertaken as part of an academic program to qualify for a doctorate. The AHRQ dissertation award R36 supports dissertation research costs of students in accredited research doctoral programs in the United States (including Puerto Rico, and other U.S. Territories or possessions). The dissertation will focus on areas relevant to health services research, with emphasis placed on methodological and research topics that address the mission of AHRQ. Certification that the defense has been successfully completed needs to be received by the Division of Scientific Review, AHRQ. If not received within 60 days, the application will be returned without review. The total direct costs for applications submitted under this PA must not exceed $30,000 for the entire project period, which is expected to range from a minimum of 9 months to a maximum of 17 months. AHRQ will return without review any application that exceeds this amount. Applicants are expected to work on their dissertations full-time.
Application receipt dates are as follows: January 15, 2004, June 15, 2004, October 15, 2004. Thereafter, February 17, June 15, and October 15 annually for 2005 and 2006.
Select Questions and Answers for information related to AHRQ's dissertation grant program (which are of interest both to individual training programs as well as prospective trainees).
Select AHRQ Grants for Health Services Dissertation Research for the Program Announcement and Addendum for an important addendum to this announcement. Select Tools and Resources for application materials.
A listing of recipients with their institutional affiliations and titles of their dissertations is provided in Recently-Funded Dissertations.
AHRQ sponsors Independent Scientist Awards in health services research, which are "Research Career Awards" intended to foster the development of promising new investigators in the field. Individual awards support newly independent scientists who can demonstrate a need for a period of intensive research focus. Awards are provided for a period between 3 and 5 years. Application receipt dates are February 1, June 1, and October 1, annually.
Select Independent Scientist Award (ASCII) for the Program Announcement and Tools and Resources for new and continuing application materials.
A listing of recipients with their institutional affiliations and titles of their dissertations is provided in AHRQ Recently Funded Career Development Award Grants.
AHRQ supports individual postdoctoral National Research Service Award (NRSA) fellows in health services research through its Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship program. These fellowships provide opportunities for 1 or more years of academic training and supervised experience in applying research methods to the systematic evaluation of health services. A stipend is provided to trainees to help defray cost-of-living expenses; stipend levels depend on the applicant's years of relevant experience. Application receipt dates are April 5, August 5, and December 5, annually.
Select National Research Service Award: Individual Postdoctoral Fellowships for the Program Announcement and the National Institutes of Health's NRSA Guidelines for an overview of important NRSA issues.
Tools and Resources provides information useful in the administration of F32 grants, including application information for new and noncompeting continuations, important forms and notices pertaining to fellow activation, termination, and payback requirements, and current stipend levels.
AHRQ awards National Research Service Award (NRSA) institutional training grants to academic institutions to develop health services research training opportunities across the Nation. The purpose of the NRSA program is to help ensure that adequate numbers of highly trained individuals are available to carry out the Nation's health services research agenda in order to improve quality of health care, assure value for health dollars spent, and enhance access to services.
A goal is to equip students with the necessary knowledge, skills, and experiences to conduct future research which will meet the needs of patients, providers, health care plans, purchasers, and/or policymakers. NRSA institutional training grants assist these programmatically diverse domestic institutions in supporting predoctoral and postdoctoral academic training by providing support for student stipends and tuition. Approximately 160 students receive support for their research educational development under this program annually.
Academic programs that have received NRSA Institutional Training awards are listed individually in AHRQ Institutional Training Programs. Current Trainees and Alumni of these programs are also provided. Persons interested in pursuing careers in health services research are encouraged to review the list to obtain more detailed information on program contacts and Web links to specific training programs. Individuals should apply directly to the institutions and programs of specific interest to them. This is not an open solicitation for educational institutions.
Awards allow selected trainees to gain 1 or more years of training and experience in applying research methods to the evaluation of health services. AHRQ does not support short-term training through this mechanism. Relevant administration and program issues for the T32 program (which are of interest both to individual training programs as well as prospective trainees) are provided in the National Institutes of Health's NRSA Guidelines.
Tools and Resources provides information useful in the administration of T32 grants, including application information for noncompeting continuations of grants and important forms and notices pertaining to financial status reports, trainee appointments and terminations, and current stipend levels.
AHRQ also sponsors Institutional Training Innovation Incentive Award Grants, which support innovative approaches to health services research training that are responsive to the research and analytic needs of our evolving health care delivery system.
These awards provide seed money to established health services research training programs in order to foster novel developmental efforts and activities not readily supported through other existing institutional training mechanisms.
Select Innovation Incentive Awards for summaries of awards issued under a previous announcement. There is no open solicitation for innovation incentive awards..
The Kerr White Visiting Scholars Program provides a unique research opportunity in which outside scholars are linked with key AHRQ research staff to address new and emerging issues related to health care access, utilization, cost quality and effectiveness. The program offers a synergistic experience for both new and well-established health services researchers to interact with Agency staff for nonrenewable periods ranging from 13 months to 2 years in residence at AHRQ. Candidates have the option of either proposing a research project or developing a project in one of several identified priority areas. There is no open solicitation for this program at present.
AHRQ sponsors the Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award in health services research. Support is provided for the development of outstanding clinician research scientists who are committed to a career in health services research, with a focus on development as an independent scientist.
The candidate must have a clinical doctoral degree, must identify a mentor with extensive research experience, and must be willing to spend a minimum of 75 percent of full-time professional effort conducting research and developing a research career during the award period. The grant may provide 3 to 5 years of funding. Applications are accepted February 1, June 1, and October 1 annually.
Select Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (ASCII) for the Program Announcement and Tools and Resources for new and continuing application materials.
A listing of recipients with their institutional affiliations and titles of their dissertations is provided in AHRQ Recently Funded Career Development Award Grants.
AHRQ sponsors predoctoral fellowship awards for minority students. Designed to enhance racial and ethnic diversity in the healths services research sciences, this fellowship provides up to 5 years of support for research training leading to the Ph.D. or equivalent research degree; the combined M.D./Ph.D. degree; or other combined professional and research doctoral degrees. Support is not available for individuals enroled in a medical or other professional school program unless it is a combined professional doctorate/Ph.D. degree program. Application receipt dates are May 1 and November 15 annually.
Select Predoctoral Fellowship Awards For Minority Students (ASCII) for the Program Announcement and the National Institutes of Health NRSA Guidelines for an overview of important NRSA issues.
Tools and Resources provides information useful in the administration of F31 grants, including application information for new and noncompeting continuations, important forms and notices pertaining to fellow activation and termination requirements, and current stipend levels.
AHRQ supports summer intern opportunities for qualified undergraduate and graduate-level students interested in health services research and/or policy. Appointments vary from 2 to 4 months. Salary levels are commensurate with the candidate's experience. Details on positions available are published annually in the Winter and Spring.
Select AHRQ Summer Intern Program for details on the program and available positions when they are posted.
Current as of December 2003
Internet Citation:
Research Training Programs. December 2003. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/fund/training/rsrchtng.htm
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