To ensure that there is continued advancement in effective diagnosis and care of patients with sleep disorders, the AASM Foundation provides research funding through the Strategic Research Grant. This grant program supports investigator-initiated, high-impact research projects aimed at addressing gaps in knowledge that impact the ability to provide optimal, patient-centered, cost-effective diagnosis and care for patients with sleep disorders.

This year, the AASM Foundation is issuing four different Strategic Research Grant requests for applications focused on the following research domains that will advance the field of sleep medicine and population sleep health.

  • Treatment of Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence
  • AASM Strategic Plan Goals
  • Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea
  • Hypopnea Scoring Criteria

These research domains were determined by the AASM Foundation Board of Directors, based on identified needs from AASM members and the sleep community.

Additionally, the AASM Foundation is excited to announce a partnership with the Hypersomnia Foundation to co-fund competitive hypersomnia research proposals received for these 2022 Strategic Research Grants: AASM Strategic Plan Goals (Diagnosis of Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence topic) and Treatment of Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence.

A summary of the focus of each request for application and relevant research domains are provided below. Additional details about related topic areas of interest can be found in the full request for applications (RFA). Only applications that fit into one of the research domains and topic areas will be considered.

2022 Strategic Research Grant: Treatment of Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence

The AASM Foundation is working with the Hypersomnia Foundation to support projects related to this RFA. By applying to this RFA, your project may be considered for co-funding from the AASM Foundation and Hypersomnia Foundation.

The 2022 Strategic Research Grant: Treatment of Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence is open to projects that address research gaps in the treatment of central disorders of hypersomnolence, which were identified in the recently published systematic review titled, Treatment of central disorders of hypersomnolence: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine systematic review, meta-analysis, and GRADE assessment. The research domains for this request for applications include:

  1. Comparisons between Treatments for Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence
    There is a need for studies that directly compare different medications used to treat central disorders of hypersomnolence.
  1. Patient-Centered Outcome Measures for Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence
    There is a need to identify, develop and validate patient-centered outcome measures that can be used to evaluate and monitor important outcomes in patients with central disorders of hypersomnolence.
  1. Mechanistic Studies for Understanding Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence
    Studies designed to understand the biological process and pathophysiology of central disorders of hypersomnolence and the mechanism of action of certain treatments are needed.
  1. Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence in Pediatric Populations
    Many central disorders of hypersomnolence start in childhood and adolescence, yet clinical trials of medications are lacking for those under 18 years of age.
  1. Behavioral and Psychological Treatments for Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence
    Reliance on medications alone to treat central disorders of hypersomnolence is likely insufficient without broader guidance on behavioral and environmental influences on symptom management.

Note: Proposals are encouraged to use standardized, validated assessments, which will permit clinicians and patients to compare clinical trial data to get an estimate of comparative effectiveness.

2022 Strategic Research Grant: AASM Strategic Plan Goals

The 2022 Strategic Research Award: AASM Strategic Plan Goals is open to topic areas related to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) Strategic Plan Goals: Advocacy to Improve Patient Care and Technology Innovation. The research domains and related topic areas for this request for applications include:

  1. Advocacy to Improve Patient Care  – Positively influence clinical practice for providers and their patients.
    Research that can be shared with payers and government decision-makers to increase recognition of the value of services provided by sleep physicians and the sleep team and that can provide evidence-based support for various sleep medicine advocacy initiatives would be valuable in moving the sleep field forward. The AASM Foundation has identified the following research domains that would be relevant to this strategic goal:
  • Central Sleep Apnea
  • Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders
  • COVID-19
  • Diagnosis of Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence1
  • Insomnia
  • Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Primary Care
  • Population Sleep Health
  • REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
  • Sleep Related Movement Disorders
  • Special Populations
  • Translational Science

1The AASM Foundation is working with the Hypersomnia Foundation to support projects related to Diagnosis of Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence. By applying to this RFA, your project may be considered for co-funding from the AASM Foundation and Hypersomnia Foundation.

  1. Technology Innovation  – Positively influence the impact of technology on patients and the sleep team.
    Research on emerging technologies and their impact on the sleep field and understanding how additional information from current sleep medicine procedures can be utilized to personalize patient care, would help strengthen knowledge on how best to harness new technology, and the data from it, to provide high quality patient-centered care. The AASM Foundation has identified the following research domains that would be relevant to this strategic goal:
  • Follow-Up Polysomnography and Home Sleep Apnea Tests
  • Obstructive Sleep Apnea
  • Special Populations

2022 Strategic Research Grant: Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

The 2022 Strategic Research Grant: Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea is open to projects that address research gaps in the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This RFA is in response to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Draft Technology Assessment – Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and future research recommendations included in the multi-society comment letter. The research domains for this request for applications include:

  1. Alternate Study Designs and Analytical Strategies for Assessing CPAP Treatment for OSA
    There is a need for studies that use alternate designs and analytical strategies for determining if treatment of OSA with CPAP improves clinically important outcomes.
  1. Studies that Enhance Prediction of Outcomes
    It is acknowledged that current physiological measures of OSA, such as AHI, are limited and there is a need for novel measures that enhance prediction of outcomes.
  1. Special OSA Patient Populations
    There is a need to study the considerable heterogeneity in patients with OSA both from a clinical symptomatic perspective that affect outcomes and individual variation in outcomes.
  2. Enhancing Long-Term CPAP Adherence
    There is a need for establishing successful interventions and methods that optimize long-term CPAP adherence in patients with OSA in studies.

Note: Proposals are encouraged to recruit and study patients who will likely benefit from CPAP for a specific outcome.

2022 Strategic Research Grant: Hypopnea Scoring Criteria

The 2022 Strategic Research Grant: Hypopnea Scoring Criteria is open to projects that will perform retrospective analysis of existing data sets to assess the impact of treatment in patients with OSA who qualify for treatment using the AASM Recommended hypopnea scoring criteria but not the AASM Acceptable scoring criteria. Analyses of interest in this OSA population include:

  • Studies that assess differences in outcomes of interest, including sleepiness, quality of life, daytime function, excess mortality as well as neurocognitive, metabolic, and/or cardiovascular outcomes.
  • Studies that assess and compare outcomes in subpopulations of patients (e.g., sex, age, race/ethnicity).
  • Studies that evaluate the association between untreated OSA and comorbidities (e.g., depression, hypertension).

The Strategic Research Award offers three levels of funding:

  • Category I:Up to $250,000 for a project period of up to three years.
  • Category II:Up to $100,000 for a project period of up to two years.
  • Category III: Up to $50,000 for a project period of up to one year.

Letters of intent are due October 11, 2021. For an overview on how to write an effective LOI and application for the AASM Foundation Strategic Research Grant, please view the following resources:

Strategic Research Grant Letter of Intent Guide

Strategic Research Grant: How to Submit a Competitive Letter of Intent and Application Webinar

For more information and to apply for the 2022 Strategic Research Grant, visit foundation.aasm.org/strategic-research-award/.