NEW FOR 2026! The new DDH Quality Improvement OR Education Award is designed to support faculty and/or trainees at all levels for quality improvement or education strategies of importance to the field of congenital cardiac anesthesia. Applications must be submitted by email no later than August 31, 2025 (23:59:59 EDT), to Dr. Laura Downey, CCAS Research Committee Chair and Kim Battle at [email protected]. 

One award of $2500 will be given for a start date of April 1^st, 2026. Applications will open June 1, 2025. This is a two-year, $2,500 (USD) award that will be allocated to a project in the field of congenital cardiac anesthesia. High-quality Quality Improvement projects or Educational Projects of importance to the field will be considered. Preference will be given to a junior faculty member of CCAS who will be advised by an experienced mentor, who is also a member of CCAS. It is anticipated that the funded project will generate results that can be used as pilot data or preliminary findings to support future grant applications.

Full applications will be due August 31, 2025 (11:59PM EST).  Project proposals will be reviewed by the CCAS Research Committee for award selection. Proposals will be judged based on Impact, Approach (Methods/Feasibility), Expertise and Resources (Investigator and Environment) as well as an overall Impact score. Feedback will be provided to all applicants. Applicants will be notified by the end of December 2025. It is mandatory that the award recipient be able to receive the award, either in person or virtually, during the CCAS Annual Meeting in 2026 to be formally recognized.

Funding will begin April 1, 2026, pending disposition of the local Institutional Review Board (eg, may be Exempt for a QI project). The $2500 does not include coverage of indirect institutional costs. Results generated by this award will be presented to the CCAS members at the CCAS Annual Meeting in 2028, either in person or virtually, and results are expected to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. A progress report submitted to the CCAS research committee is expected 12 months after the funding is issued (April 1, 2027).

Who can apply?

• The individual must be an MD or DO practicing in pediatric cardiac anesthesia, with a current medical license.
• The individual must be a CCAS member within the preceding dues cycle.
• The individual must have completed primary pediatric anesthesia training or must currently be enrolled in a pediatric cardiac anesthesia fellowship.
• Resident Status:
  • US or Canadian citizen
  • Permanent resident (green card holder)
  • Working in an academic institution with an H1-B visa having at least 3 years of validity at the time of application.
• Preference will be given to research projects that promote patient safety and improvement of care or education programs that benefit the congenital cardiac anesthesia community.

Scoring:
25% Importance of project to congenital cardiac anesthesia community (Significance and Innovation)
30% Methods/Evaluation Plan Feasibility (Approach)
25% Expertise and Resources (Investigator, Environment, Mentorship)
20% Impact score (overall impact score to reflect the likelihood of the project to exert a sustained influence on the practice of pediatric cardiac anesthesiology in the allotted time).

Application

1. Cover Page

1. 1. Title of the project
   2. Name and degree of the primary applicant
   3. Name and degree(s) of collaborators/mentor
   4. Name and degree of the departmental chairperson
   5. Institutional Affiliation
   6. Requested funds
   7. Start and end dates of the proposed project

2. Project Summary and Significance (300 words)
3. Project Plan (4 pages max)

1. 1. Background
   2. Hypothesis
   3. Specific Aims/Primary Objective
   4. Significance
   5. Methods/Curriculum/Educational Plan
   6. Time Line
   7. Evaluation Plan (PDSA cycles, planned analysis, pre/post evaluations)
   8. Limitations
   9. Feasibility
   10. Impact/Future directions
   11. References (Max 20 references)

4. Budget in US Dollars and budget justification (Max $2500)

1. 1. Equipment costs
   2. Supplies and supplies cost
   3. Other costs

5. Applicant CV (Max 5 pages) (or NIH BioSketch)
6. Letter of support from collaborators/mentor
7. Letter of support from Chairperson or Division Chief

Applications must be submitted by email no later than August 31, 2025 (23:59:59 EDT), to Dr. Laura Downey, CCAS Research Committee Chair and Kim Battle at [email protected]. Please reach out to Dr. Laura Downey [email protected] with any questions prior to your submission.