Grants>Informatics

Go Viral to Improve Health Second Annual Institute of Medicine-National Academy of Engineering Health Data Collegiate Challenge

Using social networking, mobile apps, and other new technologies, how can the power of health data be unleashed to increase awareness of health problems and inspire positive action at the community level? The IOM and NAE challenge college and university students to use health data to develop effective, innovative apps that take on the nation’s pressing health issues.

The Challenge

With an abundance of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) data and other health data available as part of the Health Data Initiative (HDI), students have an unprecedented opportunity to create interactive apps and other tools that engage and empower people in ways that lead to better health. Working in interdisciplinary teams that meld technological skills with health knowledge, the IOM and NAE believe that college students can generate exciting and powerful new products – the next “viral” apps - to improve health for communities and individuals.

To “Go Viral To Improve Health”:

Identify a health problem in your college’s surrounding community
Assemble an interdisciplinary student team
Develop an app using data from the HHS Health Indicators Warehouse and other data sources
Demonstrate how your solution will engage people in your community to promote action that will improve their health

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The challenge is open only to teams comprised of students, 18 years of age or older, currently enrolled in a United States college or university. Students must be enrolled in their college or university both at the beginning of the challenge as well as when the technology product is submitted.

A team must include at least 2 people. There may be no more than 5 people on a team.

A team must be interdisciplinary.

At least one team member must be from a computer science, engineering, or similar school, program, or major.

At least one team member must be from a medical, nursing, public health, dental, pharmacy, allied health or similar school, program or major.

The remaining members of the team may be from any discipline, school, program, or major within the college of university.

Colleges and universities may have several teams; however, a student may only be a part of one team.

The challenge is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. A team may include both undergraduate and graduate students.

Teams members must be from the same college or university. If the school does not offer one of the required disciplines, students must reach out to the challenge sponsors for approval to compete.

Teams are required to consult with a faculty advisor. The faculty advisor's name, title, and contact information must be provided during registration. As teams develop the strategy for their app, the faculty advisor may provide guidance, however the majority of the work should be developed by the students.

Any team that supplies false information, enters the challenge by fraudulent means, or is otherwise determined to be in violation of the eligibility criteria or terms of the challenge shall be ineligible for any prize and shall be required to forfeit any prize obtained based on such information or means.

Prizes

Three winning teams will be recognized for their work in the creation of the next "viral" app in the 2012 Challenge.

First place: $5,000 prize
Second place: $3,000 prize
Third place: $2,000 prize

Team Registration

Students wishing to compete in the 2012 Go Viral to Improve Health Challenge must first register their team members to verify eligibility. A team must consist between two and five currently enrolled students at a U.S. college or university.

Registration is open from November 1, 2011 through February 10, 2012.

Registration is a two-step process. Once the registration process is completed in February 2012, eligible teams will be invited to submit their final app. The submission link will be released by February 17, 2012. Teams will have until March 28, 2012 at 12:00 PM EST to submit their app for this year's challenge. Questions concerning eligibility and the registration or submission process, should be directed to goviral@nas.edu.

Innovations for Health: Solutions that Cross Borders

Ashoka Changemakers and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Pioneer Portfolio are seeking health care solutions from anywhere in the world that have the potential to be applied in other countries to improve health and health care.

Submit your solution, or nominate a project for this competition, before February 13, 2012, and help improve health care through an innovation that can cross borders.

Early Entry Prize: Entries received by December 12, 2011, 5 p.m. EST will be eligible to win US $500 and one of two private consulting sessions with industry experts.

Winners' Prizes: Three winners selected by a panel of expert judges will each receive a cash prize of US $10,000.

Countries throughout the world are seeking to improve the health of their citizens and make quality health care accessible and affordable. Despite their differences, nations are facing a surprisingly similar set of health care challenges, such as fragmented health care ecosystems, high costs, inconsistent quality of care, inefficient systems, and barriers to access and capacity needs.

In response to these challenges, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Pioneer Portfolio is partnering with Ashoka Changemakers to launch the competition, Innovations for Health: Solutions that Cross Borders.

We are looking for cutting-edge health care solutions from anywhere in the world that have the potential to be applied in other countries to improve health and health care.

In today’s increasingly interconnected world, we have the vital opportunity to learn from innovations developed beyond our borders. Examples of breakthrough innovations we’d like to see include (but are not limited to) those that:

Deploy the full spectrum of health care workers and providers, thereby improving the capacity, reach, and quality of health care services;

Use simple, low-cost interventions to improve medical, preventive, and dental care;

Help people find and access the health information, services, and providers they need through new tools and processes;

Provide high quality and personalized care in non-traditional settings; and

Find new ways to engage patients in their care, particularly patients with chronic illnesses.

We are looking for initiatives that have demonstrated impact, and we are particularly interested in those that have the potential to help vulnerable and underserved populations in other countries that are experiencing similar barriers to health. It’s time to learn from one another and to build bridges toward a more accessible, cost-effective, consumer-engaged, and outcome-driven system of health services.

In addition, following the Changemakers competition, selected entries may be invited to submit proposals to RWJF's Pioneer Portfolio for future funding consideration. The Foundation will be looking for innovations that show potential to produce significant improvement in health and health care in the United States. Only organizations in the United States and its territories are eligible for this post-competition funding opportunity.

Innovate. Collaborate. Be a Changemaker. Submit or nominate a solution today.

American Association of Endodontists Foundation Research Grant Program

Research grants are awarded twice a year. To date, over $2.1 million has been awarded to researchers. Grants are reviewed and evaluated by the AAE Research and Scientific Affairs Committee. Grant recipients are notified after Annual Session for the spring cycle and after the Foundation Board of Trustees Interim Meeting for the fall cycle. Per review cycle, the highest scoring student and nonstudent research proposals receive special recognition and an additional $500 award.

Spring/Summer Application Deadline February 7, 2012
Fall/Winter Application Deadline August 18, 2011

The AAE Foundation will offer additional awards of $500 to the top rated student and non-student proposals.

Grant Application Policies
1. Submissions will not be accepted after 5 p.m. Central Standard Time on the day of the deadline. Applicants are notified that their proposal was received and deemed complete within one week of the deadline. Funding is announced in November and in June.

2. Submissions must strictly follow the guidelines. Incomplete and/or submissions that deviate from the guidelines will be disqualified and not considered for funding.

3. No dollar limits are set for grants. Funds awarded are made payable to the principal investigator and his/her institution. Unused funds must be returned to the AAE Foundation within 60 days of completing the grant.

4. The Foundation does not support indirect costs to a recipient’s institution. All funds must be spent in support of the proposed investigation and within the funding period of the grant.

5. A progress report must be submitted within 30 days of the project’s completion. An abstract of the results must also be submitted within six months after completion of the project. An expense account itemizing the use of funds must also be included. The failure of a grantee to submit a final project report will make his/her school ineligible for funding for one year. All grant recipients are highly encouraged to present their research at the AAE Annual Session within one year of the project’s completion.

6. Applicants who are submitting a revised proposal should write an introduction in which they respond to the Research and Scientific Affairs Committee’s critique of their original proposal on a point-by-point basis. Wherever possible, applicants should indicate changes by striking out previous language and highlighting inserts. Proposals not approved for funding may be resubmitted once for reconsideration and review.

7. New submissions from previous grantees must include evidence that the results of the most recently funded project have been published, are in press or have been submitted for publication. A letter from the editor of a refereed journal acknowledging that a manuscript was submitted will meet this requirement. Former grantees who do not include this material with their new application will be disqualified.

8. Manuscripts based on research supported by the AAE Foundation must be submitted first to the Journal of Endodontics. The following statement must be included in any written or oral presentation of research supported by the AAE Foundation:

This research was supported in part by a Research Grant from the American Association of Endodontists Foundation.
Follow-up reports on completed research projects must include a copy of the submission form to the JOE. Failure to comply will jeopardize the opportunity for future funding and publication in the Journal of Endodontics.

Purpose and Priorities
The AAE Foundation inspires and supports research and the genesis of new knowledge in endodontics. To make the best use of funds, the AAE has identified research priorities. Where two proposals are judged equal, the one that addresses the AAE priorities will be given preference. Proposals with budgets over $25,000 must directly address a priority.

Eligibility
Researchers who meet the following criteria are eligible: students of an advanced specialty education program in endodontics at a dental school that is accredited by or has a reciprocal agreement with the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association; faculty or researchers in endodontology or related fields (microbiology, pathology, physiology) of a dental school that is accredited by or has a reciprocal agreement with the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the ADA; active members of the AAE. Dental school faculty or research staff who are not endodontists are strongly encouraged to include an endodontist as consultant or co-investigator. To encourage international scientific exploration, an international researcher may be included as a collaborator on projects that are carried out at institutions that are accredited by or have a reciprocal agreement with the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. Travel expenses may be included in the request for funding as part of the itemized budget.

Postgraduate Students
Postgraduate students must be AAE members. Priority will be given to students in the first year of a two-year endodontic program or the first or second year of a three-year program. The student should decide on a research project early in his/her training so that it may be completed by graduation.

Review Process
Applications are reviewed by the AAE Research and Scientific Affairs Committee. Each protocol is evaluated in competition with all others. The committee submits recommendations to the Board of Trustees of the AAE Foundation. The Trustees allocate and award funds. Committee members who have a vested interest in a project or an institution are excluded from evaluating that grant application. When necessary, the committee obtains evaluations from outside reviewers.

Applications are evaluated based on the following criteria:

A. Significance of research and its relation to the AAE Research Priorities
B. Scientific merit and potential for discovering new information
C. Excellence of research design and statistical methods and probability of successful completion
D. Extent to which the project has been previously funded
E. Extent to which alternative funding sources were sought
F. Extent to which the research can lead to future innovations in clinical endodontics, or future research that is funded by national or federal funding agencies

All applicants will receive a critique of their proposal. For further information, call the Development Coordinator of the AAE Foundation at 312/266-7255, ext. 3008.

AAE Research Priorities Research

The AAE accepts proposals in the following areas of investigation. Systematic reviews of topics related to the priority list will be considered along with other types of research.

A. Assessment of Clinical Outcomes
1. Factors affecting success of endodontic treatment
a. Nonsurgical and surgical endodontic treatment
b. Effect of number of visits
c. Effect of instrumentation and obturation techniques
d. Timeliness and quality of the coronal restoration
e. Effect of the dental operating microscope on the success of nonsurgical retreatment and surgical endodontic treatment
f. Effect of residual microorganisms following instrumentation and/or medication

2. Management of anxiety, infection, inflammation and pain

3. Long-term cost effectiveness of endodontic treatment compared to treatment alternatives

B. Assessment of New Technology Such as Devices and Materials

C. Biology of Pulpal and Periradicular Tissues
1. Focal infection (relationship, if any, of endodontic treatment to systemic diseases)
a. Fate of remaining microorganisms in endodontically treated teeth and the supporting periodontium
b. Effects of acute and chronic periradicular infections and their management on systemic health
c. Epidemiological relationship between endodontic treatment and systemic diseases
d. Pathogenesis and healing of endodontic infections in patients with chronic systemic diseases

2. Development of sophisticated methods of diagnosis including enhanced imaging of teeth and periradicular tissues

3. Identification, clarification and use of neurotransmitters, growth factors, genetic or genomic factors, and other biologic regulators to manage endodontic disease

4. Effect of endodontic materials on local tissue response and systemic health

5. Contribution of microorganisms to the pathogenesis of pulpal and periradicular disease

D. Cracks and Fractures in Teeth

1. Diagnosis of cracked teeth

2. Management of cracked teeth and repair of root fractures

3. Investigation of treatment modalities for vital teeth and endodontically treated teeth

4. Development of in vitro and in vivo model systems to evaluate materials, techniques, and assessment of clinical outcomes

5. Epidemiology of cracked teeth and endodontic sequelae

E. Demographics/Epidemiology of Pulpal and Periradicular Disease

1. Prevalence of pulpal and periradicular disease and projections

2. Current and projected demand for endodontic services

3. Current and projected status of the endodontic practice

F. Endodontic/Implant Relationships

1. Relationship between endodontically treated teeth and adjacent implant(s)

2. Assessment of clinical outcomes of implants vs. endodontically treated teeth

G. External and Internal Resorption

1. Etiology and biology of root resorption

2. Effective treatment modalities with assessment of clinical outcomes

H. Educational Research

1. Current and projected status of endodontic education

2. Development and assessment of creative models and application of these models in graduate student, dental student and continuing education programs

3. Design of innovative programs that would use technology to improve the quality and efficiency of graduate student, dental student and continuing education programs

4. Development of a telecommunication system, “teledentistry,” to enhance continuing education and consultations

I. Tissue Engineering—Regeneration of the Pulpodentin Complex and Periradicular Tissues

1. Optimal scaffold materials and signaling molecules needed to regenerate the pulp-dentin complex and periradicular tissues

2. Source of cells needed to regenerate pulp-dentin complex and periradicular tissues

3. Molecular processes that control stem cell activity within the pulp-dentin complex

4. The fate of the stem cells within the pulp-dentin and periradicular tissues

5. Advantages and disadvantages of different sources of cells to regenerate the pulp-dentin complex and periradicular tissues

6. Animal models that can be used to replicate disease conditions and test hypotheses related to regenerating the pulp-dentin complex and periradicular tissues

7. The influence of enhanced methods of disinfecting and shaping the root and root canal system on regenerative procedures

8. Identification of desirable/undesirable outcomes of regenerative procedures

9. Identification of appropriate outcome measures of regenerative endodontic procedures for example; in vivo imagining, laser Doppler flowmetry, micro CT, etc.

10. Patient and clinical factors affecting the outcomes of regenerative endodontic procedures

American Association of Endodontists Foundation
211 E. Chicago Ave., Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60611-2691
Phone: 800/872-3636 (North America) or 312/266-7255 (International)
Fax: 866/451-9020 (North America) or 312/266-9867 (International)
E-mail: foundation@aae.org