The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), the ABIM Foundation, the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM), the American College of Physicians (ACP) and the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation are focused on improving the trustworthiness of the health care system and advancing health equity.
As part of this focus, the organizations are co-sponsoring a grant program to support projects that are (a) led by individuals or groups of residents and faculty in internal medicine education and training and (b) intended to promote trust and create a more equitable health system by incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion into the fabric of internal medicine education and training. All project teams must include at least one faculty member, and inter-professional project teams are encouraged. The projects should be designed to demonstrate specific ways that training, practices, and organizations can enhance trust.
The sponsors are particularly interested in funding proposals that address the relationship between trust and issues of bias and diversity, at the patient-physician/learner, team or health system/hospital level. Illustrative examples of potential proposal topics include:
- Innovations in medical education and training that incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) best practices
- Quality improvement programs and program evaluations that advance health equity
- Addressing the impact of intersectionality on trust at the levels of the doctor/patient relationship, teams and systems
- Approaches for health systems and hospitals to demonstrate cultural competence and empathy
- Ideas on building trustworthiness and psychological safety among teams, including an intentional focus on bias, lack of diversity and the lack of being heard because of hierarchical structures
- Innovative approaches to create collaborative partnerships between health systems and community-based service organizations in underserved communities
- Programs for learners and faculty to improve communication and interview skills to address patient concerns about bias
- How to deal with aggressive behavior including microaggressions
Projects will be evaluated based on their:
- novelty and innovativeness
- utilization of collaborative relationships with other organizations, including community-based organizations
- feasibility and potential impact
- replicability and scalability
- project leaders’ ability and commitment to communicate their project to external audiences
- support in existing literature/evidence
Funding Available
We expect to provide large ($20,000) grants and small ($2,500-$5,000) grants under this program. The smaller grants are intended to support smaller pilot/proof of concept projects. The larger grants are appropriate for larger implementation projects, including projects that include collaboratives among multiple organizations. Please specify which type of grant you seek in your letter of intent.
Process
Those who are interested in applying for a grant should submit a letter of intent here by December 10.
Sponsoring Organizations
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American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM): Since its founding in 1936 to answer a public call to establish more uniform standards for physicians, certification by the ABIM has stood for the highest standard in internal medicine and its 21 subspecialties. Certification has meant that internists have demonstrated – to their peers and to the public – that they have the clinical judgment, skills and attitudes essential for the delivery of excellent patient care. ABIM is not a membership society, but a physician-led, non-profit, independent evaluation organization. Our accountability is both to the profession of medicine and to the public. |
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ABIM Foundation: The ABIM Foundation’s mission is to advance medical professionalism to improve the health care system by collaborating with physicians and physician leaders, medical trainees, health care delivery systems, payers, policymakers, consumer organizations and patients to foster a shared understanding of professionalism and how they can adopt the tenets of professionalism in practice. |
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Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM): The Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine promotes the advancement and professional development of its members who prepare the next generation of internal medicine physicians and leaders through education, research, engagement, and collaboration. |
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American College of Physician(ACP)s : The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 145 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 163,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. |
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Josiah H. Macy Foundation: Since 1930, the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation has worked to improve health care in the United States. Founded by Kate Macy Ladd in memory of her father, prominent businessman Josiah Macy Jr., the Foundation supports projects that broaden and improve health professional education. It is the only national foundation solely dedicated to this mission. |
