The Rheumatology Research Foundation is now accepting applications for the RISE Pilot Project Award, an education and training award. The award provides resources to support the training and career development of early career researchers and clinicians interested in pursuing research using real world electronic health data in the field of rheumatology.
“This award was created with three main aims,” says Christie Bartels, MD, MS, division head and associate professor of rheumatology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin–Madison. Dr. Bartels serves as chair of the Research & Publications subcommittee of the ACR’s Committee on Registries and Health Information Technology. “We wanted to build an award that would support trainees completing research using the RISE registry, increase the number of rheumatology professionals who are comfortable and confident using real-world data, and further bolster the rheumatology research workforce.”
Applicants must propose a project to be carried out during a 12-month award period. Projects must focus on scientifically important questions that can be answered using data collected through the ACR’s RISE registry. The project should result in an abstract submitted for ACR Convergence 2023 and, if appropriate, provide preliminary data to strengthen a funding application for a project that would lead to a manuscript. All funded projects will be completed in a collaborative manner with the assistance of a RISE Data Analytic Center (DAC).
“RISE is the oldest and largest electronic health record-enabled rheumatology registry in the world,” says Tom Tack, director of registry analytics. “Research with RISE data has made discoveries on rare diseases, such as Behçet’s syndrome, and identified data gaps in contraception documentation. There is also an in-progress project on biomarker-defined precision medicine in rheumatoid arthritis. With the RISE dataset at their disposal and the support of our Data Analytic Centers, we give these researchers a great opportunity to advance their careers and the field of rheumatology.”
“We are excited to hear proposals from those at the beginning of their career in rheumatology,” says Dr. Bartels. “Pairing innovative researchers with RISE’s real-world dataset is, we think, a perfect match. We look forward to hearing some brilliant ideas from some passionate early researchers, and we are here to help and answer questions.”
Eligible candidates for this mentored award include trainees and junior researchers or health professionals with no current or prior funding at the National Institutes of Health K level or higher, including institutional K funding, Foundation career development awards, or equivalent funding. Recipients of the award receive up to $30,000 over four months to support their project, which includes support for the recipient, such as salary or travel.
