Opportunities for Educators: Lead, Learn, Disseminate

The Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) Grants Program is intended to support education research projects that engage in collaborative and participatory partnerships with project budgets up to $400,000 and durations of up to three years. They accept preproposals once a year in this program.

They view partnerships as an important approach to knowledge generation and the improvement of education, broadly construed. Over the long term, they anticipate that research conducted by RPPs will result in new insights into the processes, practices, and policies that improve education for learners, educators, families, communities, and institutions where learning and teaching happen (e.g., schools, universities, community centers, parks, museums, other workplaces). Details about the program and application process can be found here.

Full Proposal (By Invitation) Deadline: March 31, 2026, 12 p.m. Central time/North America
Program contact: Maricelle Garcia, research-practice-partnership@spencer.org

The Large Research Grants on Education Program supports education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education, broadly conceived, with budgets ranging from $125,000 to $500,000 for projects ranging from one to five years. They anticipate awarding grants with budgets across each of the following funding tiers: $125,000 to 250,000; $250,001 to $375,000; and $375,001 to $500,000. Within each of our funding tiers, they evaluate projects within tier and strongly encourage applicants to submit for funding that best fits their project rather than applying for the highest amount of funding.

This program is “field-initiated” in that proposal submissions are not in response to a specific request for a particular research topic, discipline, design, method, or location. The goal for this program is to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education.

Applications Open: Dec. 10, 2025

Pre-Proposal Deadline: Feb. 24, 2026, 12 p.m. Central Time/North America

Full Proposal (By Invitation) Deadline: June 23, 2026, 12 p.m. Central Time/North America

Program contact: Maricelle Garcia, largegrants@spencer.org

The Hearst Foundations fund educational institutions demonstrating uncommon success in preparing students to thrive in a global society. The Foundations’ focus is largely on higher education, but they also fund innovative models of early childhood and K-12 education, as well as professional development.

• Minimum grant size is $100,000
• If a grant request is unsuccessful, an organization must wait a minimum of one year from the date of declination before reapplying
• Grantees must wait a minimum of three years from their grant award date before the Foundations will consider another request
• For more information on our process, please visit the Funding Limitations, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and the Grant Request Evaluation Process pages

There is no deadline for these grants.

This award recognizes an outstanding assistant-level faculty member who demonstrates leadership potential in their efforts to promote equal opportunity in medical education and access to quality health care; demonstrates efforts in addressing educational, societal, and health care needs of underserved populations in the United States; and is committed to a career in academic medicine.

The recipient receives a $25,000 grant to support a project performed in the United States focused on underserved populations. Recipients are required to accept the award at Learn Serve Lead 2025: The AAMC Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX.

Nomination deadline is April 3, 2026.

The Carol D. Berkowitz, MD Award for Advocacy and Leadership in Pediatric Medical Education honors a program coordinator for extraordinary or innovative contribution(s) of advocacy and leadership in pediatric medical education at a national level through APPD. This award is given to a current or former pediatric residency or fellowship program coordinator who is or has been a member of the APPD. Current/sitting members of the deliberating body, however, are not eligible for nomination. Nominations may come from any member of the APPD.

Submission Deadline: Feb. 12, 2026

The Robert S. Holm, MD Leadership Award honors an APPD member (past or present) for extraordinary contribution in leadership and support of other program leaders as a mentor, advisor or role model at a national level through APPD.

Submission Deadline: Feb. 12, 2026

The Walter W. Tunnessen, Jr. MD Award for the Advancement of Pediatric Resident Education honors an APPD member (past or present) for extraordinary or innovative contribution(s) in pediatric graduate medical education at a national level through APPD.

Submission Deadline: Feb. 12, 2026

The Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Awards were established by the AOA medical honor society in 1988 to recognize faculty members who have distinguished themselves in medical student education. The award is named for longtime AOA Executive Secretary Robert J. Glaser, MD.

The Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Awards recognize outstanding contributions to medical education made by gifted teachers. Up to four awards are granted each year.

Each awardee will receive a $7,500 prize. The awardee’s nominating institution will receive a grant of $2,500 for teaching activities, and, if the nominating institution has an AOA chapter, the chapter will receive a $1,000 grant for support of its activities.

Nominations are due April 3, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

The Debra L. Dooley GME Program Coordinator Excellence Award is given to program coordinators in recognition of their in-depth understanding of the accreditation process, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and projects to improve graduate medical education programs.

Now Accepting Nominations for 2027 Now accepting nominations for the 2027 ACGME Awards cycle. Complete the nomination form online and review the award FAQs for details.

Deadline: Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 5 p.m. Central Time

The ACGME John C. Gienapp Award honors those that have dedicated themselves to graduate medical education and have made outstanding contributions to the enhancement of residency education and ACGME accreditation activities.

Now Accepting Nominations for 2027 Now accepting nominations for the 2027 ACGME Awards cycle. Complete the nomination form online and review the award FAQs for details.

Deadline: Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 5 p.m. Central Time

The Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award honors program directors who find innovative ways to teach residents and to provide quality health care while remaining connected to the initial impulse to care for others in this environment. Parker J. Palmer’s book The Courage to Teach promotes the concept of "living divided no more," which has proven relevant to teaching in academic health centers. Now Accepting Nominations for 2027

Now accepting nominations for the 2027 ACGME Awards cycle. Complete the nomination form online and review the award FAQs for details.

Deadline: Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 5 p.m. Central

• February 19-21, 2026
• San Diego, CA

The ACGME Annual Educational Conference is the ACGME’s signature learning event, bringing together more than 5,000 graduate medical education (GME) professionals from around the globe. Over three days, participants have unparalleled opportunities for professional development, learning, networking, and growth in the field of academic medicine. As the largest GME gathering worldwide, this event brings together educators, leaders, and innovators for a conference experience filled with meaningful learning, collaboration, and connection.

The 2026 conference will take place at two locations, the San Diego Convention Center and the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, conveniently situated next to each other in San Diego, California. Attendees will have access to a range of curated sessions, providing valuable insights and resources for professionals at every level—from newcomers to seasoned experts.

• March 25 – March 28, 2026
• Vancouver, BC Canada

The COMSEP annual meeting is a wonderful opportunity for educators and educational administrators to learn from each other through workshops, mentoring sessions, research presentations, collaborative meetings, as well as through networking and sharing ideas! Participants leave a COMSEP meeting energized by interactions with creative, enthusiastic, and like-minded educators, and carry great ideas back to their home institutions.

• April 14-17
• Denver, CO

The APPD spring meeting provides pediatric program educators and leaders with the opportunity to network and learn what’s new in medical education curriculum.

• Now accepting reservations for housing
• Registration is now open
• Sponsorship opportunities can be found here

• April 24-27
• Boston, MA

Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Meeting connects thousands of leading pediatric researchers, clinicians, and medical educators worldwide united by a common mission: Connecting the global academic pediatric community to advance scientific discovery and promote innovation in child and adolescent health. This international gathering offers opportunities for a global audience to share research, explore new ideas, build career opportunities, and collaborate on future projects.

• Registration is now open
• Hotel and travel can be booked here
• Schedule at-a-glance

Are you a pediatric hospitalist interested in expanding your teaching skills and competence in evidence-based educational strategies? Do you want to take your career to the next level and inspire your residents and students with more meaningful learning opportunities? Would you like to meet and collaborate with like-minded educators? Well, we have the program for you.

The Advancing Pediatric Educator eXcellence (APEX) teaching program, which is co-sponsored by the AAP Section on Hospital Medicine and the Academic Pediatric Association, as well as endorsed by the Society of Hospital Medicine Pediatric Committee, will soon be recruiting for its next cohort.

The application process is now open for the Advancing Pediatric Educator eXcellence (APEX) Teaching Program’s cohort scheduled to coincide with the Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) Conference in 2025 (Anaheim, California).

For details on the APEX Teaching Program and to access the application, please visit: Advan​cing Pediatric Educator E​​xcellence (APEX) Teaching Program https://www.aap.org/en/pedialink/advancing-pediatric-educator-excellence-apex-teaching-program/about-advancing-pediatric-educator-excellence-apex-teaching-program/

Applications for the APEX Teaching Program PHM 2025-2026 cohort are due Feb. 7, 2025.

Supporting Medical Education Research Fellow Scholars (SMERFS) is a program that provides pediatric subspecialty fellows with instruction about scholarship and mentoring of a medical education research project. This is a two-year program to allow for project development, collection of data, data analysis and study presentation and publication. The goal is for this medical education research project to meet the American Board of Pediatrics’ Fellowship Scholarly Work requirement.

The mission of APPD SMERFS is to provide instruction and mentoring for pediatric fellows to conduct medical education research for the purpose of promoting medical education scholarship.

Call for APPD SMERFS Fellows Now Open: Deadline to Apply is March 31, 2026

Live Demo & Walkthrough – Making the Most of Our Learning Management System (LMS)

Join us for a relaxed, interactive Virtual Café Hour where we’ll walk you through the platform, answer your questions in real time, and share tips for integrating LMS Oasis into your program workflows.

• Date: March 12, 2026
• Time:  4 p.m. Eastern Time
• Location: Zoom
• Audience: Program Leadership: PDs, FPDs, APDs, PCs, and Rotation Faculty with administrative access
• What is our LMS, Oasis? Oasis is your centralized hub for exploring, managing, and engaging with APPD’s digital learning ecosystem — from curated curricula and evaluations to reporting tools.

Click here to register.

Please review the components of this new Action Team below and consider applying to join the Action Team Leadership or one of the 5 Sub-Committees and contributing to this important work!

If you are interested in applying for Leadership or any of the Sub-Committees of PEd-THRIVE please click here and complete this application form.

Wellbeing Action Team Mission / Goals Mission: Promote wellness of pediatric trainees, faculty and GME leaders through research, education and effective training methods.

Goals: Promote wellness of pediatric trainees, faculty and GME leaders through the following core activities:

1. Continue annual longitudinal assessments of wellbeing of pediatric trainees
2. Provide annual program wellbeing reports to participating PDs and institutions
3. Promote wellbeing of pediatric trainees, faculty and GME leaders through development and dissemination of wellbeing interventions and activities for pediatric trainees, faculty and GME leaders
4. Enable research and scholarship regarding important factors that impact trainee, faculty and GME leader wellbeing

APPD is excited to announce that the call for applications to APPD Leadership in Educational Academic Development (APPD LEAD) opened on January 26.

Are you involved in medical education leadership and want to advance your educational development to improve yourself and your residency or fellowship program? APPD LEAD can help you meet those goals.

APPD LEAD is an approximately nine-month educational program that provides outstanding training for educators aspiring to develop the knowledge and skills needed to become leaders in medical education.

The program features:

• Three educational conferences
• Curriculum focusing on organizational leadership, curriculum development, faculty development, residency and fellowship program administration and scholarship and career development
• Nationally recognized faculty with significant experience in program leadership and medical education
• Monthly peer group activities and support
• A mentored educational project
• A certificate given upon completion of all required program elements

Application timetable:

• January 26, 2026: Application system opens
• March 30, 2026: Application deadline
• Mid-May 2026: Applicants notified of status

For questions, please contact LEAD@appd.org.

Call for papers on:

• Disability in Med Ed
• Palliative care education
• Lifelong learning and patient safety
• Psychiatric education and its challenges
• Clinical reasoning education: advances and updates
• Transnational Medical Education Programs
• The role of medical humanities in Medical Education
• Intensive care education
• Tools for assessment of medical skills
• AI in curriculum development and assessment
• Environmental sustainability across the Med Ed curriculum
• Shaping the future of ultrasound education

The rapid advancement of AI is transforming how physicians are trained. AI offers the potential to personalize learning and improve the efficiency of medical education. In addition, AI algorithms can augment clinical decision making and decrease clinician administrative burden. Given the promise of AI tools, educators and institutions must be prepared to both responsibly and ethically implement them for the purpose of teaching and learning and prepare clinicians to effectively use evolving technologies in their clinical practice, MedEdPORTAL seeks innovative approaches to bridge these gaps.

This call, led by Elissa Hall, EdD and Cornelius James, MD, is designed to highlight the work of educators, learners, and staff who are driving the role of AI education towards the aim of improved patient care.

We seek submissions describing generalizable educational innovations that:

1. Equip educators with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively leverage AI to improve their teaching practices.
2. Promote the responsible and ethical use of AI for teaching and learning, such as AI's role in admissions, evaluation, feedback, assessment, coaching, and faculty development.
3. Prepare learners to effectively use AI in their clinical practice, addressing both opportunities to augment clinical practice and ethical considerations. By sharing strategies, we can collectively advance the field, improve patient care, and prepare the next generation of physicians for a technology-driven future.

To determine if your work is in scope, e-mail mededportal@aamc.org.

JGIM is now accepting submissions for a special Medical Education Theme Issue focused on the challenges and opportunities shaping teaching and learning in today’s rapidly evolving health care environment. This issue aims to highlight rigorous research and scholarship relevant across the continuum of medical education.

Topics of Interest

Submissions may address any aspect of medical education, with particular interest in work related to:

• Artificial intelligence in medical education
• Care delivery innovation involving learners
• Teaching the value of primary care and supporting future generations
• Culture, learning environment, well-being, and psychological safety
• Professionalism and professional identity formation

Submission Details

Papers must be submitted by March 16, 2026, and should follow JGIM’s online instructions for authors. Manuscripts will be accepted on a rolling basis.

Pediatric Annals is currently seeking additional feature submissions and would welcome ideas across general pediatrics and subspecialty topics.

Questions? Reach out directly to Shayna Bayard (she/her/hers), executive editor, SLACK Journals.