RAPID’s Scholar Awards awards target applicants (junior faculty and fellows in their last year of fellowship) who identify as underrepresented in medicine (UIM), or disabled. Selected proposals will receive up to $15,000 in funding for a one-year project.
Interested applicants must select one of the following funding paths for their application:
- Academic general pediatrics, with a special emphasis on nutrition, obesity, and sickle cell disease (Supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK))
- Pediatric Infectious Disease (Supported by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS))
- All subspecialties welcome, and includes basic, translational, clinical, and health services research (Supported by the American Pediatric Society (APS))
- Behavioral Mental Health / Health Equity (Supported by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) Foundation)
- Neonatal Nutrition (Supported by Reckitt/Mead Johnson)
In addition to the award, RAPID Scholars:
- Are paired with a national mentor who is an accomplished senior investigator and seasoned mentor
- Receive in-person mentoring and networking during the annual Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Meeting
- Attend RAPID’s Annual Mentoring and Career Development Conference
- Participate in monthly telephone conference calls to provide peer support, peer mentoring, networking, a venue for presenting research progress, and opportunities for potential research collaborations
APA's Call for Applications opens each summer.
Applications are now open - Deadline: October 1, 2023, at 11:59pm ET
Apply to be a 2024 Scholar!
More about RAPID's Research Grants
Initial Proposals
Applications are now open - Deadline: October 1, 2023, at 11:59pm ET
Apply to be a 2024 Scholar!
Please take care in reviewing the following steps before submitting an Initial Proposal:
- Select one Funding Path
- Ensure you are within the eligibility requirements for a RAPID Scholar
- Confirm that both you and your chosen mentors are current members of the Academic Pediatric Association (or other supporting organization, based on selected funding path)
- Review the Initial Proposal Checklist for detailed application instructions
The RAPID National Advisory Committee (NAC) will review initial submissions and select Principal Investigators (PIs) who will be invited to submit full proposals.
Incomplete submissions and application materials that exceed the requested page limits will NOT be considered for review.
Full Proposal
Those who receive an invitation to submit a full proposal will be notified directly with access to the submission portal and a reminder of the deadline.
Please take care in reviewing the following steps before submitting an Full Proposal:
- Review the comments that were provided to you during the Initial Proposal review.
- Review the Full Proposal Checklist for detailed application instructions
The RAPID NAC will review and score the full proposals and prepare a summary review to be sent to each PI. Funding decisions will be based on the results of the study section review. The number of proposals selected for funding will be determined by the funds available for the given year. The awardees will be announced at the annual Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting.
Incomplete submissions and application materials that exceed the requested page limits will NOT be considered for review.
Application Material Templates
The following items are examples of application materials:
The principal investigator of any submitted proposal and his/her primary mentor must be members of the APA (or other supporting organization, based on the applicant's selected funding path).
Applicants must identify as underrepresented in medicine (UIM), or disabled, who are committed to a career in academic general pediatrics.
Proposals are welcome from those who are:
- Fellows in the last year of fellowship
- Faculty members no more than 5 years out from completion of all training (fellowship or post-doc)
Previous RAPID Scholars and YIA recipients are not eligible to apply.
Proposals
This is a one-time award for 1 year. Multi-year funding requests will not be considered.
2023 RAPID Scholars
RAPID-NIDDK
- Silvia Pereira-Smith, MD, MPH
Education and Safety for Children with Autism to Prevent Elopement (ESCAPE) Kits for Adolescents
Institution: Medical University of South Carolina
Local Mentor: Michelle Macias, MD
NAC Mentor: Jennifer Woo Baidal
RAPID-PIDS
- Ingrid Camelo, MD, MPH
Screening for seroprevalence of Chagas disease in pediatric Latino population in Georgia
Institution: Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
Local Mentor: Julia Koelher, MD
National Mentor: Anthony Flores, MD, MPH, PhD (UT Health Houston)
RAPID-ABP
- Miheret Yitayew, MD, MPH
Home Health Services Utilization of NICU Graduates with Technology Dependence
Institution: Children's Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University
Local Mentor: Karen D. Hendricks-Muñoz, MD, MPH
NAC Mentor: Jochen Profit
- Holly Vo, MD, MPH, MSc, MA
Characterizing Pediatric Clinician Shared Decision-Making Behaviors
Institution: University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle Children's Research Institute
Local Mentor: Douglas Opel, MD, MPH
NAC Mentor: Elena Fuentes-Afflick, MD, MPH (UCSF)
RAPID-APS
- Jaime La Charite, MD, MPH
Public spending on community assets, adverse and positive childhood experiences, and adult health
Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
Local Mentor: Rebecca Dudovitz, MD, MSHS
NAC Mentor: Jean Raphael, MD, MPH (Texas Children's Hospital)
2022 RAPID Scholars
RAPID-NIDDK
- Cynthia Akagbosu, MD, MA
The Role of Gut Microbiota in Children and Adolescents Undergoing Sleeve Gastrectomy
Institution: Children's National Hospital
Local Mentor: Suchitra Hourigan, MD (NIH)
NAC Mentor: Jean Raphael, MD, MPH (Texas Children's Hospital)
RAPID-PIDS
- Marisa Orbea, MD
Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Hesitancy in Hospitalized Children
Institution: Baylor College of Medicine | Texas Children’s Hospital
Local Mentor: Claire Bocchini, MD (Texas Children's Hospital)
NAC Mentor: - Ana Quintero, MD
Impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants on mucosal cytokines and clinical outcomes in children with COVID-19
Institution: Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Local Mentor: Asuncion Mejias, MD, PhD (Nationwide Children's Hospital)
NAC Mentor:
RAPID-New Century Scholars
- Tolulope Rosanwo, MD
Tracking quiescent hematopoietic stem cells for pre-clinical optimization of genome editing for the cure of sickle cell disease
Institution: Boston Children's Hospital
Local Mentor: Daniel Bauer, MD, PhD (Dana Farber/Boston Children's)
NAC Mentor: Michael DeBaun, MD, MPH (Vanderbilt University School of Medicine)
NCS Mentors: - Katia Crisler, MD, MEd
Parent Engagement and Communication Preferences in Long-term Survivorship Care of their Children with Cancer
Institution: Boston Children's Hospital
Local Mentor: Katie Greenzang, MD, & Ariel Winn, MD (Boston Children's Hospital)
NAC Mentor: Jason Wang, MD, MPH (Stanford University)
NCS Mentors:
2021 RAPID Scholars
RAPID-NIDDK
- Kelsey Egan, MD
Multi-level determinants of early introduction of sugar-sweetened beverages and 100% juice
Institution: Boston Medical Center/Boston University School of Medicine
Local Mentor: Caroline Kistin, MD, MSc (Boston Medical Center/Boston University School of Medicine) & Elsie Taveras, MD, MPH (MassGeneral Hospital for Children)
NAC Mentor: V. Faye Jones, MD, PhD, MSPH - Shani Jones, MD
Closing the Loop: Developing and Testing a New Approach for Head Start Food Insecurity Screening
Institution: Vanderbilt University
Local Mentor: Shari Barkin, MD, MSHS (Vanderbilt University School of Medicine)
NAC Mentor: Jason Wang, MD, PhD
RAPID-New Century Scholars
- Fiorella Beatriz Castillo, MD, MSPH
Safe Sleep for Brooklyn Babies: Identifying and Overcoming Disparities in Infant Safe Sleep Practices
Institution: Brookdale Hospital Medical Center at One Brooklyn Health
Local Mentor: Fernanda Kupferman, MD (Brookdale Hospital Medical Center at One Brooklyn Health)
NAC Mentor: Jason Mendoza, MD, MPH (University of Washington)
NCS Mentors: Kelsey Egan (Boston Medical Center) and Tara Williams (Nemours Children's Hospital) - Joshua Sheak, MD, PhD
Longitudinal Assessment of the Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Developmental Inflammatory Lung Injury
Institution: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Local Mentor: William Zacharias, MD, PhD (Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center)
NAC Mentor: Michael DeBaun, MD, MPH (Vanderbilt)
NCS Mentors: Allison Empey (OHSU) and Wally Carlo (University of Alabama at Birmingham)
2020 RAPID Scholars
RAPID-NIDDK
- Eileen Chaves, PhD
The Meaning of Genetic Obesity: Parental Perception of Genetic Testing for Children with Obesity (Qualitative Addition to GO-ID Study)
Institution: Nationwide Children's Hospital/The Ohio State University
Local Mentor: Ihuoma Eneli, MD
NAC Mentor: Jean Raphael, MD, MPH - Melissa Bent, MD
Assessing the Feasibility of Developing a Structured Weight Management Program for Overweight and Obese Adolescents and Young Adults with Spina Bifida using a Mobile Health App
Institution: Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Local Mentors: Alexander Van Speybroeck, MD, and Patricia Castillo, MD
NAC Mentor: Michael DeBaun, MD, MPH - Rochelle Cason-Wilkerson, MD, MPH
Disparities in Sleep Efficiency for African American Children : A Qualitative Study of Sleep Barriers, Facilitators and Potential Interventions
Institution: Children's Hospital Colorado
Local Mentors: Jill Kaar, PhD, and Darcy Thompson, MD, MPH
NAC Mentor: Jason Mendoza, MD, MPH
2019 RAPID Scholars
RAPID-NIDDK
- Alexandra Sims, MD
A Qualitative Analysis of the Counseling Experiences and Preferences of Parents of Sickle Cell Trait Positive Children
Institution: Children’s National Health System
Local Mentor: Beth Tarini, MD, MS (Children’s National Health System) - Brandi Pernell, DNP, PNP-BC
Combatting Adverse Childhood Experiences in Children with Sickle Cell Disease
Institution: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Local Mentor: Monica Baskin, PhD (University of Alabama at Birmingham) - Skye McLaurin-Jiang, MD
Car Seat Tolerance Screening in Newborns: Epidemiology and Outcomes
Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Local Mentor: Kori Flower, MD, MS, MPH (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
2017 RAPID Scholars
RAPID-NIDDK
- Victor Cueto, MD
Academic General Pediatrics Fellow
Stanford University School of Medicine
Perceptions of Physician Communication Among Latino Parents with Limited English Proficiency and Overweight or Obese Children.
Mentor: Fernando Mendoza, MD
Department Chair: Lee Sanders, MD - Tamara Gayle, MD, MEd
Hospitalist Fellow
Children's National Medical Center
Are Practitioners Identifying our Most Vulnerable Children in the Inpatient Setting at a Large Tertiary-Care Children's Hospital?
Mentor: Stephen Teach, MD
Department Chair: Stephen Teach, MD
2016 RAPID Scholars
RAPID-NIDDK
- Brandi K. Freeman, MD, MS
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Using Standard Teaching Videos in Pediatric Nurse Phone Triage: A Qualitative Study to Understand Parent and Nurse Perspectives on Technological Enhancement of Phone Care Advice
Mentor: Christopher Still, MD, MPH (University of Colorado School of Medicine)
NAC Mentor: Jason Mendoza, MD, MPH (University of Washington/Seattle Children's Hospital) - Morgan Walls
Boston Medical Center
Prevention and Management of Obesity in Children with Autism Spectrum
Disorder: Attitudes, Self-Efficacy, Practices and Barriers among Primary
Care Pediatricians
Mentor: Megan Bair-Merritt, MD (Boston Medical Center)
NAC Mentor: Monica Baskin, PhD (The University of Alabama at Birmingham)
2015 RAPID Scholars
RAPID-NIDDK
- Juan Espinoza, MD
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Effect of personal activity trackers on weight loss in children enrolled in a Comprehensive Behavioral Family Lifestyle Intervention (CBFLI) program
Mentor: Larry Lin, MD (Children's Hospital Los Angeles)
NAC Mentor: Rafael Perez-Escamilla, PhD (Yale School of Public Health) - Cristina Fernandez, MD, MPH, FAAP
Columbia University Medical Center
Dual Food and Energy Insecurity and the Onset of Adverse Child Behaviors and Health
Mentor: Melissa Stockwell, MD, MPH (Columbia University)
NAC Mentor: Elena Fuentes-Afflick, MD, MPH
(University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine)
2014 RAPID Scholars
RAPID-NIDDK
- Suzanna Martinez, PhD
University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco
Development of a culturally appropriate tool for assessing bedtime routines and sleep hygiene in preschool-age Latino children
Mentor: Michael Cabana, MD, PhD (University of California, San Francisco)
NAC Mentor: Elise Taveras, MD, MPH (Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital) - Thao-Ly Phan, MD
Nemours AI duPont Hospital for Children
Psychosocial Risk, Adherence, and Outcomes in Pediatric Obesity Treatment
Mentor: Anne Kazak, PhD (Nemours AI duPont Hospital for Children)
NAC Mentor: Jason Wang, MD, PhD (Stanford University, School of Medicine - Jennifer Woo Baidal, MD
Boston Children's Hospital
Early Life Risk Factors for Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Children
Mentor: Elise Taveras, MD, MPH (Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital)
NAC Mentor: Michael DeBaun, MD, MPH (Vanderbilt University, School of Medicine)
2013 RAPID Scholars
RAPID-NIDDK
- Patricia Castillo, MD
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Family-Centered Obesity Prevention Program for Underserved Latinos
Mentor: Larry Yin, MD, MSPH (Children's Hospital Los Angeles)
NAC Mentor: Elena Fuentes-Afflick, MD, MPH (University of California, San Fransisco - Diana Naranjo, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Ethnically diverse patients with diabetes: Transitions from pediatric to adult care
Mentor: Stephen Gitelman, MD (University of California, San Francisco)
NAC Mentor: Rafael Perez-Escamilla, PhD (Yale University, School of Public Health) - Adebowale Odulana, MD, MPH
Medical University of South Carolina
Assessing the Perspectives of African American Adolescents about Obesity Prevention in Eastern North Carolina
Mentor: Eliana Perrin, MD, MPH (University of North Carolina)
NAC Mentor: Benjamin Caballero, MD, PhD (Johns Hopkins, Bloomberg School of Public Health)
