Faculty Development & Clinical Research Awards

About the Awards

The Academy of Clinician Scholars (AoCS) at UC San Diego Health Sciences recognizes faculty for exceptional clinical skills, dedication to patient care, teaching, and advancing medical knowledge. To support ongoing excellence, the Academy offers annual awards for professional development and clinical research.

Who Can Apply?

Eligibility Requirements:

1. Must have an academic clinical appointment at UC San Diego (MSP contracts or volunteer-only positions are not eligible)
2. Any academic rank
3. At least 50% clinical activity (including direct patient care and clinical administration), confirmed by a letter from your department chair or division chief
4. MD, DO or PharmD degree are eligible
5. Basic research proposals are not eligible

Proposals Eligible for Funding

Proposals will be considered for funding in the following categories:

• Clinical Research proposals 
• Skill development proposals
• Fostering improved patient/physician communication

Fundable activities awarded by AoCS may include but are not limited to the following areas:

• Support for a research project
• Acquiring a new clinical skill, procedure, or teaching tool
• Acquiring new knowledge to build a clinical research database
• Support for new collaborations to enhance clinical research at UC San Diego
• Building a nascent program at UC San Diego in a novel area or enhancing an already existing clinical program (must provide rationale for later)
• Developing and/or bringing new technology to UC San Diego
• Establishing a new training course for clinicians at UC San Diego
• Funding travel and support of sabbatical/leave activity that would benefit clinical programs and clinicians at UC San Diego
• Tuition and travel expenses to attend short courses that will enhance clinical, teaching, or research potential

AoCS Does Not Provide Funding for the Following

• Salary support for the investigator (We will support ancillary staff and services such as biostatistician or clinical research coordinator)
• Publication Fees
• Projects specifically targeted to improve residency or medical student programs without defined and validated endpoints that can be used for research purposes
  • We do support career development to improve our clinicians’ ability to teach students and residents
  • Pilot projects may be accepted with appropriate scientific rigor and a clear plan to transition support after initial funding period

Award Details

Clinical Research Award: Up to $10,000 (12-month period)
Kaiser Permanente Professional Development in Clinical Education & Improved Patient/Physician Communication Awards: $10,000 (12-month period)

Reporting Requirements

Awardees will be expected to present and submit:

• A 6-month progress report
• A final report at 12 months

Application Review

Applications will be reviewed by members of the AoCS  Awards Committee and other Academy members with relevant expertise. The Review Committee will review the submitted application materials and interview applicants with competitive priority scores.  

Review Criteria

• Degree of Innovation
• Benefits to the Academy and Clinical Community at UC San Diego
• Candidate's professional development needs
• Qualifications of the applicant to complete the proposed work
• How these resources will be leveraged (e.g. matching funds, assurance of protected time)
• Scientific merit (for research proposals)
• Feasibility

Scoring:
Each criterion is rated 0–5 (5 = most favorable). Overall project scores are also assigned (0–5).

How to Apply

To be considered, your application must include all of the following required documents and adhere to the outlined formatting guidelines:

Required Documents (Submit as a single PDF):

• AoCS Award Proposal Guidelines 2027
• Current Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Biosketch
• Budget and Budget Justification
• Letter from your Department Chair or Division Chief confirming that you have at least 50% clinical activity (including direct patient care and clinical administration)

Proposal Formatting Guidelines:

• Limit: 6 pages maximum, double-spaced

Must include:

• Project title
• Complete research description
• References

Do not submit the research description, project title, or references as separate documents—they must be included within the 6-page proposal. The CV, budget materials, and letters do not count toward the 6-page limit.

Additional Recommendation:

Assistant Professors are encouraged to identify a suitable mentor and include a letter of commitment from that mentor as part of the application.

Submission Deadline

Applications should be emailed to: Martha Contreras; mac219@health.ucsd.edu by September 1, 2027

Questions

Questions can be directed to Chair of the AoCS Awards Committee: Dr. Samuel Eisenstein; seisenstein@health.ucsd.edu

Resources

AoCS Award Proposal Guidelines 2027