Advocate Lutheran General Hospital

James R. & Helen D. Russell Institute for Research Innovation

Small Research Grants Program

Funding Announcement

The James R. & Helen D. Russell Institute for Research & Innovation is pleased to present this inaugural cycle of the Small Research Grants Program. These grants are jointly funded by the Advocate Lutheran General Hospital Health Partners Endowment and James R. & Helen D. Russell Institute for Research & Innovation Endowment.

Purpose of the SmallResearch Grants Program:

  • To support research projects that can advance and directly benefit patient care
  • To serve as a platform for new or continuing research projects focused on patient centered outcomes, interventions, and clinical translation
  • To provide preliminary work for leveraging extramural funding for future projects

Application Process Overview:

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Applicant must be anAdvocate Lutheran General Hospital or Advocate Children’s Hospital Park Ridge associate, affiliated physician, or nurse
  • New pilot or continuingresearch projects

Funding Scope:

  • This inauguralCycle encourages investigators from all areas to apply. However, special emphasis will be given to the following areas:

a)Cardiology

b)Medical Education

c)Multidisciplinary Projects

d)Neurology

e)Oncology

f)Orthopedics

  • Applicants who are uncertain whether their topic fits within the Small Research Grants Program can address their inquiries by calling 847.723.8200

Award Amount:

Funding may be requested for $15,000-$25,000.Projects will receive two (2) years of funding.

Regulatory Requirements:

  • Funding will not be released until Advocate Health Care Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval has beenreceived.However, you may apply for a grant while IRB approval is pending.

a)If IRB approval has been already received, please include IRB approval letter in the submission package.

b)If IRB approval is pending, please indicate the status of the pending reviewand the assigned IRB number under the PLANS FOR IRB APPROVAL section of the research protocol.

c)If you have not submitted your IRB application yet, please describe the plans for submitting your IRB application package under the PLANS FOR IRB APPROVAL section of the research protocol.

  • The principal investigator and all sub-investigators, coordinators, and anyone involved with the design, conduct, or reporting of your researchmust:

a)Complete the “Protecting Human Research Participants” online training and receive your certificate. The training is located at

b)Complete the Research Registration and Financial Conflict of Interest education at

Submission Process:

  • Submit a Letter of Intent to inform James R. & Helen D. Russell Institute for Research & Innovation consultantsthat you are intending to apply. The letter should consist of the following:principal investigator name and contact information, department,study purpose, potential significance of the project (no more than 500 words necessary).The deadline for the letter of intent is Friday, March 1st, 2013.
  • Each investigator isrequired to seek consultation from a James R. & Helen D. Russell Institute for Research & Innovation consultantto develop the research protocol. Please complete and submit a Research Work Request Form, which can be found at under forms. The research consultantwill be asked to submit a letter to the review committee documenting how he/she worked with you on the protocol.
  • A Project Mentor is required for trainees, residents, or fellows, nurses and new clinical investigators. For all other investigators, a project mentor is strongly recommended. This individual will be responsible for providing clinical/scientific knowledge, guidance, leadership, and feedback. The project mentor should be identified in the KEY PERSONNEL section of the protocol.
  • Principal Investigators are encouraged to identify a Project Administrator. This individual will be responsible for fiscal monitoring, compliance, and reporting. The project administrator should be identified in the KEY PERSONNEL section of the protocol.
  • Investigators mustuse the attached Research Protocol for developing their protocols.

Submission Checklist:

Submit the following by Monday, April 29th,at this link:

  1. Official cover letter signed and dated by the principal investigator on letterhead
  2. Research protocol
  3. Copy of data form/case report form
  4. Budget request and justification
  5. Letter(s) of support (see FAQs for more information)
  6. IRB approval letter (if applicable)
  7. Consent form (either draft or IRB approved)
  8. Letter from the James R. & Helen D. Russell Institute for Research & Innovationconsultantverifying their consultation / involvement

Timelines/Notification Dates:

  • There will be two application cycles in 2013
  • The deadline date for Cycle 1 application submission is Monday, April 29th, 5:00 pm CST
  • Funds will be awarded on Monday, July 1st, 5:00 pm CST
  • Call for Cycle 2 protocols – Monday, June 3rd,2013
  • The deadline date forCycle2 submission is Monday, September30th, 5:00 pm CST
  • Funds will be awarded on Tuesday, December 31st, 5:00 pm CST
  • NOTE: Funding priorities may change for Cycle 2

Key Contacts:

Nancy Cipparrone

Director

Phone: 847-723-7391

E-mail:

Suela Sulo

Manager, Patient Centered Outcomes Research

Phone: 847-723-2691

E-mail:

SMALL RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAM RESEARCH PROTOCOL

TITLE

Descriptive title of the research project; keep it succinct and clear.

You can use the PICO format:

Patient/Population – Who or What?

Intervention – How?

Control – What is the main alternative? (If Appropriate)

Outcome – What are you trying to accomplish, measure, improve, effect?

FUND REQUEST

Include total amount (e.g., $24,559.00)

INVESTIGATORS/KEY PERSONNEL

Include a list of all study personnel:

Name / Credentials / Role / Affiliation / Email / Phone

RESEARCH QUESTION/HYPOTHESES

Identify the specific aims for your study.

Write your study purpose, rationale, or hypotheses.

Specific Aim(s):

1.

2.

3.

SIGNIFICANCE / BACKGROUND

Using the literature, establish any previous work related to your research question. This section should describe the gaping hole in the literature and how your specific aims will attempt to address it. Remember to cite your references throughout your protocol! Pick a style from your favorite journal. Most people use numbered superscripts. The main thing is to be consistent.

-Find 3 – 5 relevant articles [request assistance from the Advocate Medical Sciences Library Network Librarians for literature search, go to: [located at Advocate Online)]

-To evaluate your articles, use the Oxford Center for EBM Critical Appraisal Sheets at the following website:

-Supply e-copies of the two (2) best articles to the James R. & Helen D. Russell Institute for Research & Innovation Staff for their review

METHODS

The next five sections encompass the methods. Traditionally, this grouping has been headed “Methods” or “Materials and Methods” but studies involving human subjects usually label this section “Patients and Methods”.

DESIGN

What research design will be used to address your specific aims? Examples include: case series, case-control, retrospective cohort, cross-sectional, prospective cohort, and randomized controlled trial. Just a reminder that “retrospective chart review” is not a study design. You probably really mean a case series or retrospective cohort study.

SUBJECTS

If you study is a clinical study, you will need to provide information concerning your subjects. You should describe where you will obtain your subjects, over what time period and the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria you will use.

-Inclusion Criteria

-Exclusion Criteria

PROCEDURES/VARIABLES/DEFINITIONS

This section basically describes your experimental treatments/interventions (if any), your methods of obtaining data and a description of your variables. So, if you plan to use a treatment to describe how you removed a patient’s spleen using two magnets and a bungee cord, -that would go here. Likewise, you would provide information about a chart review in this section. Provide information about your primary outcome variable as well as all secondary outcome variables. At times it will be necessary to define these variables, so be precise.

-Include information about how randomization will happen (If Appropriate)

-Include a Data Form (see below)

-Surveys or Questionnaires should be taken from previously published literature with validation methods cited

SAMPLE SIZE CALCULATION / POWER ANALYSIS

This section should include a write up of how many subjects you will need in your study group(s) to achieve an 80% power of detecting a difference based on the magnitude of the difference given from published literature, pilot data or expert clinical opinion.

DATA ANALYSES

Use this section to provide a thorough description of the statistical tests planned, and your criterion for significance (e.g., p < 0.05).

REFERENCES

Use this section to provide all of the references used throughout your study. Pick a format from your favorite journal and use it consistently.

DATA FORM / CASE REPORT FORM

This form is used to capture the data. The form should be constructed so that most of the information can be recorded as a short answer or a check-box. Most likely, in this day and age, a lot of the actual data accrual will be recorded directly to a computerized database, spreadsheet or electronic case report form. Nevertheless, for the purposes of thinking through your study, and for the IRB, you will need to have your data in document form. Samples are available from the James R. & Helen D. Russell Institute for Research & Innovation.

BUDGET/RESOURCES UTILIZED

This is an important part of the planning for your study and while it seldom ends up in the final reporting of your results, it is just as important to consider these aspects of your study as statistics or participant recruitment.Investigators should use the Budget Request template that is located on the Small Research Grants Program webpage.

TIMELINE

Use this section to include timeframes for project milestones. Often, this information is presented in a chart or table of some kind. It is important to demonstrate that you can accomplish your goals in the time frame covered by the grant.Please note that this is a two (2) year funding timeframe.

SITE DATA MONITORING PLAN

Describe your plans for routinely monitoring the data accuracy and completeness as the study is being conducted. This would include plans for identification of adverse events and protocol violations as well as reporting to the IRB. Samples of Site Data Monitoring Plans are available from the James R. & Helen D. Russell Institute for Research & Innovation.

DATA SAFETY MONITORING BOARD

If applicable, describe the action plan for the data safety monitoring board. Samples of DSMB plans are available from the James R. & Helen D. Russell Institute for Research & Innovation.

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