Young Investigators Research Forum
| Issue Date: | September 12, 2022 |
| Application Due Date: | October 31, 2022 by 5:00 pm ET |
| Selection Notification: | By January 6, 2023 |
| Forum Dates and Venue: | Virtual Meetings: March 2023 May 2023In-Person Meeting: April 26-28, 2023 The Bethesdan Hotel 8120 Wisconsin Avenue Bethesda, MD 20814 |
| Amount of Funding: | Selected Young Investigators Research Forum trainees will be provided a travel scholarship that includes travel and lodging to the in-person Young Investigators Research Forum 2023 in Bethesda, MD. |
We are no longer accepting applications for the Young Investigators Research Forum 2023. The 2024 application cycle will open September 2023. Please check back for additional details or subscribe to the mailing list to receive updates on AASM Foundation programs. The application overview is available here for informational purposes only.
In an effort to expand the field of sleep medicine with highly qualified researchers that will lead breakthrough discoveries in circadian science and sleep research, the AASM Foundation is committed to the growing and supporting the pipeline of sleep scientists by investing in the research careers of new investigators through mentorship and grant writing skills opportunities.
The Young Investigators Research Forum is a research training program designed to aid the career development of promising early career investigators in circadian and sleep research by providing opportunities to network with senior sleep investigators, exposure to federal and foundation funding agencies and sleep funding mechanisms, refine their research ideas, and guidance to thrive in an academic sleep research career.
Meet the Young Investigators Research Forum 2023 Trainees
Sydney Aten, PhD1
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School
Lauren Barber, PhD, MSc
Emory University
Anthony Briggs, PhD
NYU Langone Health
Leandro Brito, PhD1
Oregon Health and Science University
Yi Cai, MD
University of Pennsylvania
Christopher Cano, MD
Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital
Katie Cederberg, PhD
Stanford University
Rebecca Cox, PhD
University of Colorado
Johanna Elumn, PhD
Yale University
Sarah Ferraro, PhD
Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School
Desiree Garcia Anton, MD
University of Miami
Chenlu Gao, PhD
Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital
Luciana Giorgio Cosenzo, PhD, MSW1
University of Alabama School of Social Work
Suzanne Gorovoy, PhD
University of Arizona
Ian Greenlund, PhD1
Mayo Clinic
Nicole Gumport, PhD
Stanford University
Amy Hartman, PhD, OTR/L1
University of Pittsburgh
Melissa Horger, PhD
Temple University
Asuka Ishihara, PhD
National Institute of Health
Sullafa Kadura, MD, MBA
University of Rochester Medical Center
Jess Meyer, PhD, MS, MA
University of Kansas Medical Center
Alyssa Minnick, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Ogechukwu Obiano, MD
University of Iowa
Shameka Phillips, PhD, MSN
University of Washington
Sachin Shah, MD, MS
Indiana University School of Medicine
Oleksii Shandra, PhD
Florida International University
Cynthia Tchio, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital
Zhikui Wei, MD, PhD
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Chia-Lun Yang, PhD
University of Michigan
Westley Youngren, PhD
Canandaigua VA Center of Excellence for Suicide Research
1Supported through a travel scholarship from the Sleep Research Society Foundation
| Kiran Maski, MD, MPH (Chair) | Harvard Medical School/Boston Children’s Hospital |
| James Timothy McKenna, PhD (Vice Chair) | Harvard Medical School |
| Ruth M. Benca, MD, PhD | Wake Forest University School of Medicine |
| Philip Cheng, PhD | Henry Ford Health System |
| Raj Dedhia, MD | University of Pennsylvania |
| Chandra Jackson, PhD | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences |
| Reena Mehra, MD, MS | Cleveland Clinic |
| Sairam Parthasarathy, MD | University of Arizona |
| Jared Saletin, PhD | Alpert Medical School of Brown University |
| Katie Lee Stone, PhD, MA | California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute |
| Andrew W. Varga, MD, PhD | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai |
| Sigrid Veasey, MD | University of Pennsylvania |
| Kenneth Wright, Jr., PhD | University of Colorado |
About the Young Investigators Research Forum
The Young Investigators Research Forum is aimed at providing guidance, tactics, and strategies to better position early career investigators for a successful career in circadian and sleep research. The aims are to:
- Foster the pursuit of circadian and sleep research in early career investigators who are committed to focusing their research in basic, translational, clinical or population sleep and circadian science.
- Disseminate vital information required for pursuing a research career in circadian and sleep science.
- Serve as a primer for obtaining grant funding.
- Provide an opportunity to network and establish extramural research mentorship.
The Young Investigators Research Forum will provide an opportunity for collegial interaction among early career investigators and established senior investigators across the broad spectrum of basic, translational, clinical and population sleep and circadian science, as well as with scientific and program officers from federal funding agencies.
Upon completion of the Young Investigators Research Forum, trainees will be able to:
- Understand how to build a successful career in sleep research, including how to foster collaborations and develop mentorship relationships.
- Understand the policies and various mechanisms for sleep research funding.
- Gain insight on the grant peer review structure and process.
- Further develop specific aims for a grant proposal.
The Young Investigators Research Forum consists of online and in-person didactic presentations, workshops, and small group sessions covering scientific writing and stewardship, opportunities for funding and collaboration, navigating the academic environment, and networking. As active participants, early career investigators will have the opportunity to present their current research, provide feedback on each other’s research proposals and review a grant.
The Young Investigators Research Forum is held in-person with online meetings done prior to and after the 3-day in-person meeting at Bethesda, Maryland. The Young Investigators Research Forum 2023 agenda can be found below. The program is subject to change as plans for the research forum are finalized.
Selected Young Investigators Research Forum trainees will be provided a travel scholarship that includes travel and lodging funded by the AASM Foundation to the in-person Young Investigators Research Forum 2023 in Bethesda, MD. The Young Investigators Research Forum 2023 is supported by Avadel, ResMed, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and the Sleep Research Society Foundation.
The following individuals are eligible to apply:
- Physicians (MD or DO) who are board-eligible or board-certified in sleep medicine by a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties or American Osteopathic Association and have completed their sleep medicine fellowship within the past 10 years, or who are currently enrolled in an ACGME-accredited sleep medicine fellowship program are eligible to apply.
- Researchers (PhD or other similar doctoral degree) who are within 10 years of completing their post-doctoral training or who are currently post-doctoral fellows.
- Must be members of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Sleep Research Society, American Academy of Neurology, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Chest Physicians, American Thoracic Society, and/or Society for Research of Biological Rhythms.
The following individuals are NOT eligible to apply:
- Individuals who have received a federal career development grant (NIH K grant, VA Career Development Grant, or equivalent), or independent research funding (NIH R01 or equivalent) at the time of application.
- Individuals who are at an institution outside of the United States.
The AASM Foundation Research Career Development Committee will evaluate and score all submitted applications. Factors that will be taken into consideration include:
- Contribution to Science: Clear commitment to an academic sleep research career through publication and project efforts, and training to date.
- Specific Aims: Current or planned research is scientifically sound.
- Career Plan: Focused future career goals in sleep research.
- Mentoring Plan and Needs: Appropriate mentors are identified, and plan will help fill gaps in knowledge, skillset, and abilities. If no mentors are identified, the plan clearly outlines strategies for acquiring mentorship and support for filling gaps in knowledge, skillset, and abilities.
- Appropriateness: How participation in the Young Investigators Research Forum will enhance the applicant’s career trajectory in circadian and sleep research.
We encourage potential applicants to contact us early in the application process with questions. Eligibility questions may need to be reviewed by a member of the AASM Foundation Executive Committee, so please allow for at least a 1-week response time for eligibility questions. For all other inquiries, please allow a minimum of two business days for a response. Please note that questions received within 48 hours of an application deadline may not be answered before the deadline.