In response to PAEA’s strategic plan objective to “increase educators engaged in research and scholarly activities,” the PAEA Research Team has rebranded the Scientific Meeting Scholarship as the PAEA Career Advancement Scholarship. The PAEA Board of Directors has established a fund of $10,000 per fiscal year to award scholarships of up to $2,000 to PA faculty and full-time PA program staff presenting research posters or presentations at scientific meetings with a preference for meetings and conferences other than the PAEA Education Forum or the AAPA Conference. Note that because of inflation, PAEA will consider funding greater than $2,000 based on need and available funding in the budget. This scholarship is intended to stimulate faculty and staff to work toward developing research suitable for presentation at national meetings and increase the visibility of PAs and PA faculty researchers at meetings where high-level health care decision makers are present. Recipients of these awards will serve as representatives of PA profession, PA educators, and the Association in addition to their programs or institutions.
In addition, we are extending funding to other professional development opportunities, such as webinars, skills-building courses, and certificate programs. Because the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled many conferences and the number of opportunities for remote presentations were limited, PAEA reassessed its priorities and would like to offer support for faculty members to:
- Enhance their research skills by learning new research methods, software, or research models
- Build their leadership skills and teaching competencies
- Pay for article processing fees or publication fees to publish their work in research journals
Eligibility
- The faculty or full-time PA staff member must be serving at a PAEA member program at the time of presentation.
- The faculty or full-time PA program staff member must have an accepted (not simply submitted) research poster, presentation, or panel proposal that raises the visibility of the PA profession or PA education.
- Awardees are required to provide a brief overview of the presentation, a digital head shot, and other statements regarding their experiences at the conference upon request for publication in PAEA-sanctioned media.
- Only presentations of original research will be considered.
- If a faculty member or full-time PA program staff member is applying for another professional development program, a brief justification for attending the program is required. If they are approved for funding, they must provide proof of registration.
Guidelines
- Applicants are encouraged to first explore existing funding opportunities offered by their institutions or the conferences.
- Expenses for travel, hotel, conference registration, and food will be covered up to $2,000 per trip. Applicants will be asked to submit estimates of these costs. Funds will be disbursed after the meeting or conference.
- Local, state, and regional meetings are eligible but will be given lower preference. National meetings are strongly preferred. International conferences are also eligible. The following is a non-exhaustive list of conferences that may be competitive for funding:
- AcademyHealth
- American Educational Research Association Conference
- Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Health
- Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE)
- Collaborating Across Borders (CAB)
- International Academy of Physician Associate Educators (IAPAE)
- International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE)
- Learn Serve Lead: The AAMC Annual Meeting
- Ottawa Conferences on the Assessment of Competence in Medicine and the Healthcare Professions
- Although research posters are eligible, presentations or panels are strongly preferred.
- Each faculty member may receive only one grant per fiscal year (July 1 – June 30), but are eligible to re-apply in subsequent years.
- About five (5) scholarships are available per fiscal year.
Application
Applications must be submitted through the online application platform with the following materials:
- Rationale for scholarship request
- If you are presenting at a conference or meeting, please provide:
- A notice or letter of acceptance to the conference or meeting
- A copy of your accepted abstract or proposal, as submitted to the conference or meeting if you are making a presentation
- If you are applying for a training program and are approved for funding, please provide proof of registration
If you do not receive confirmation of receipt within two business days or have any questions about the scholarship, please contact us at Research@PAEAonline.org or call 703-651-8540.