Sleep Research Program for Advancing Careers

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Next Issue Date:	February 5, 2024
Next Application Due Date:	March 18, 2025 by 11:59 pm ET
Next Selection Notification:	By May 31, 2024
Start/End of 2024-2025 SOAR Fellowship:	August 2024 – June 2025
Amount of Funding:	Selected SOAR fellows will be given the following for the SLEEP 2025 meeting: Free registration Reimbursement for abstract submission Travel and lodging

We are no longer accepting applications for the 2023-2024 Sleep Research Program for Advancing Careers (SOAR). The 2024-2025 application cycle will open February 2024. Please check back for additional details or subscribe to the mailing list to receive updates on AASM Foundation programs. The application overview for this program can be viewed here for informational purposes only.

The AASM Foundation is committed to growing and supporting the pipeline of sleep scientists by investing in the research careers of new investigators through mentorship and grantsmanship training opportunities.

The Sleep Research Program for Advancing Careers is a research training program designed to support early career sleep and circadian investigators through a structured and mentored grant writing curriculum. At the end of the program, the early career investigators will be expected to have a completed grant application to submit for a federal or nonprofit career development grant such as an NIH K award. The goal of this program is to increase the number of early-career investigators who successfully apply for and secure external sleep research funding.

About the Sleep Research Program for Advancing Careers

Curriculum

The 2023-2024 Sleep Research Program for Advancing Careers will start August 2023 and run through May 2024. The program will match each accepted applicant to a mentor, who will serve as a grant writing mentor for the duration of the program.

Accepted applicants will have access to grant writing lectures focused on career development grants and participate in live grant writing sessions with their mentors and the AASM Foundation Research Career Development Committee to get feedback on different components of their grant.

The Sleep Research Program for Advancing Careers will ensure the accepted applicants have a completed career development grant application at the end of the program that they can submit to federal funding agency or nonprofit organization for funding.

Funding Information

The Sleep Research Program for Advancing Careers provides free registration to the SLEEP 2024 meeting in Houston, TX. It will also reimburse an abstract submission to SLEEP 2024 and provide travel credit for travel and lodging.

The Sleep Research Program for Advancing Careers is supported by ResMed, Eisai and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Eligibility

The following individuals are eligible to apply:

Sleep scientists (MD, DO, DDS, DMD, DNP, DNSc, PharmD, PhD, or equivalent) who are within 10 years of their terminal degree, post-doctoral training, or clinical training are eligible to apply.
Must be members of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Ineligibility

The following individuals are NOT eligible to apply:

Individuals who have received a career development award (NIH K grant, VA Career Development Award, AASM Foundation Career Development Award, or equivalent), or independent research funding (NIH R01 or equivalent) are not eligible to apply.
Individuals who are at an institution outside of the United States.
Current AASM and AASM Foundation Board of Directors members cannot be listed as a mentor during their term on the Board and for one year after their term ends.

Review Criteria and Process

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 based on training to date, research activities, scholarly productivity, and institutional commitment towards a research career.
Specific Aims: Well-articulated research question in the sleep or circadian field that addresses a major gap in current evidence and a plan towards addressing this gap. Note: While the committee will help develop the aims, this document will serve as the primary basis for deciding which candidates are most likely to benefit from the program.
Career Plan: Strong short-term and long-term career goals in sleep research. Specific career development award/grant identified and clear description of how submitting a grant application at the end of the Sleep Research Program for Advancing Careers will facilitate advancement in a sleep research career.
Mentoring Expectations/Needs: Clear need for a structured grant writing program (i.e., Sleep Research Program for Advancing Careers). Plan and expectations for how Sleep Research Program for Advancing Careers mentor will help fill gaps in knowledge, skillset, and abilities.

Questions

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.

Meet the 2023-2024 SOAR Fellows

Christian Agudelo, MD
University of Miami School of Medicine

Sleep Research Program for Advancing Careers

About the Sleep Research Program for Advancing Careers

Meet the 2023-2024 SOAR Fellows

Alumni