Prospective scholars may submit applications between April 1 and May 15. The application deadline is May 15. The program start date is Sept. 3, 2019.

Applicants with questions about the program may contact Timothy Beebe at 612-625-6949 or beebe026@umn.edu

Application Process

The full application consists of the below elements and should be no more than 7 pages in length, with a minimum of 11-point font and 0.5 inch margins. All pages throughout the application should include the applicant’s name in the upper right header.

The application must include the following, in order:

Cover page (1 page) containing the following information:
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• Name, degrees
• Position, department, rank
• Primary Institution for faculty/investigator appointment
• Publications (total, first author)
• Prior grants as PI (grants from anyone other than your institution; list type of award, funding institution, and total costs)
• Primary and secondary mentors names, departments, academic ranks, and numbers of publications (total)
• Title of proposed research project

Personal Background and Career Development Plan (1 page)
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• Candidate: Summary of applicant’s career goals, vision and timeline, why you wish to change a health system, and a mentored career development plan relating to both learning health system science and patient-centered outcomes research.
• Vision/timeline: Vision of how this program would advance your goals, including accelerated timeline for independent K- or R-level funding. Please include a timeline for future research aims and funding proposal submissions.
• Mentors: Proposed mentors (up to two in total, must designate primary mentor) and a description of roles, meeting schedule, and expectations. View the core mentors by competency area page.

Specific aims (1 page): Specific aims for the proposed research plan.
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Research plan (2 pages)
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How do you propose to change the health system, including patient/stakeholder engagement, and a demonstrated relationship with a health system for the proposed research. Format as follows: Title, Abstract, Background, Significance, Innovation, Methods. (References are not included in page limit.)

Learning Health System Integration Description and Plan (2 pages)
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In order to be responsive, applications must integrate the AHRQ learning health system competency domains and the PCORI Methodology Standards within both the career development plan and the research plan. The two pages specific to the learning health system integration description and plan are intended to better flesh out the direct application of the AHRQ competencies in the project and communicate their integration from across the application in a coordinated way. In addition to explicit attention to the AHRQ LHS competencies, applicants should consider how their work will 1) be integrated and embedded within the health system of interest (beyond having a position in or connection to a health system themselves, applicants’ work and project must be linked in to the work of the health system), 2) systematically improve that health system’s practice (e.g., bridge an identified gap or address an identified problem), and 3) be responsive to both ongoing needs and system contexts of both the health system and patients to continuously improve practice and patient care.

Biosketches
NIH-style biographical sketches of applicant and mentors (Not included in page limit.).

Health System Letter
Letter of support from the health system with which the candidate will be working. This letter should show support for both the candidate and the proposed research (Not included in page limit.).

Chair/Director Letter
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Letter of support from department/division chair or director (Not included in page limit.). This letter must ensure:

• A 100% FTE appointment (up to three years, but not less than two);
• 75% FTE commitment to MN-LHS research by appointment start date;
• Agreement to cover Scholar’s salary in excess of the amount covered by MN-LHS program (which is 75% of the Scholar’s salary, up to a cap of $90,000 per year);
• Office space and additional resources outside of those covered by the proposal.

Operations Mentor Agreement Letter
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Please include a signed Letter of Agreement from an exemplar within the health system (CMO, CQO/QIO, chief science/academic officer, department/division heads, department/division administrator) who will serve as the scholar’s Operations Mentor. This person should be willing to engage in mentoring the Scholar, to initiate connections between the Scholar and system leaders, and to act as an advocate for the Scholar internally. Please use this letter template which specifics specific roles and responsibilities of the Operations Mentor.

Budget
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Proposed budget justification for $25,000 in research development support costs for each year, up to three years (Not included in page limit.).

Supplementary Information
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Includes AHRQ required demographic information, work history, degrees, schools and GPAs. (Not included in page limit).