Objective
This call for proposals announces the availability of funding to support projects that will promote further development of research in Indigenous Health Professions Education (IHPE) at The University of British Columbia (UBC). We are looking for researchers who are interested in exploring the education experiences of Indigenous Students in health professional programs during their admissions and training processes as well as those of Indigenous health professionals in practice. That is, the Centre for Health Education Scholarship (CHES) wishes to engage with interested parties to further society’s knowledge of the role of education practices on the experiences and needs of Indigenous health professional learners and/or practitioners.
Background
CHES is seeking to work with Indigenous UBC Students and/or Faculty to lead or co-lead research that addresses a scholarly issue in Indigenous education of relevance to the health professions. Areas of research might focus on undergraduate or postgraduate education, interprofessional education, continuous professional development or the practice experience of Indigenous providers. Examples of eligible topics include Indigenous student experiences with the curriculum (formal, informal, and hidden), student affairs/support, the pre-admission process, the admission process, the learning environment (cultural safety), and experiences of diversity, equity and inclusion. In addition, Indigenous faculty experiences navigating traditional systems or Indigenous practitioner experiences (e.g., Continuing Professional Development) will also be of interest and eligible. Funding is not intended to support program development, program evaluation, or program delivery.
Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be assessed by a group comprised of Indigenous leaders and education scholars and weighted against the following criteria:
- Relevance of the project to Indigenous learners or practitioners.
- Clear description of the research goals and indication of how they will be achieved.
- Inclusion and demonstration of Indigenous leadership or partnerships, direction, participation and governance on the project.
- The range of perspectives/backgrounds represented by the research team
- Exploration of the phenomenon of interest (i.e., preference will be given to proposals that seek to critically understand why observations arose and are deemed important, as opposed to those that are purely descriptive or evaluative).
- Qualifications of the team, based on their relevant expertise, their commitment to Health Professions Education and their excellence as researchers.
- Merit of the proposed research question, alignment to the spirit of the Indigenous Strategic Plan, and an identified priority, need, or area of interest of Indigenous peoples and communities
- Clarity regarding a meaningful gap in knowledge this work would fill and the aims and objectives of the work
- Appropriateness of proposed methods and/or approach
- Feasibility (rationale, sample size, methods, progress indicators)
- Importance and potential impact of the proposed activities
- Quality and clarity of training and mentoring plan (if applicable)
- Appropriate allocation of funds – inclusion of a budget justification that illustrates how the available funding will be put to optimal use in support of project completion within a specified timeline.
Duration
Projects will be expected to be completed within 12-24 months from the date of notification of funding.
Award Details
One (1) award, valued at $10,000 will be provided in support of an Indigenous health professions education scholarly project. Principal Investigators (PIs) must hold a faculty appointment or be a registered student or resident in a health professional education program affiliated with UBC. Affiliate faculty at regional sites or at affiliate organizations are eligible.
- Seventy-five percent of the funding will be disbursed upon proof that ethics approval has been received with the remaining 25% provided on receipt of a study completion report.
- Funds must be spent and the project completed within 12-24 months of notice of the award, so applicants are encouraged to seek ethics approval while awaiting the adjudication outcome.
- A final report on the study itself and on the use of the funding will be required within 6 months of study completion.
- We encourage and welcome diverse forms of knowledge translation
All expenses must comply with UBC’s expenditure guidelines.
Application Preparation
CHES is committed to supporting the development of project ideas; anyone interested in such support prior to making their submission should email the CHES Administrative Manager (CHES.manager@UBC.ca). The Indigenous Research Support Initiative (IRSI) is also happy to support those as they consider and prepare an application (irsi.info@ubc.ca)
Applications should be a maximum of 6 pages with a minimum 11-point font and 1.5 line spacing including references. Relevant content includes:
- Name and title of principal investigator and co-investigator(s);
- Role of Indigenous partners on this project
- Consultations that have been or carried out with Indigenous peoples related to the project
- Problem statement (research questions and rationale) with a summary of the gap in knowledge and why this research matters (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4602011/);
- Research design and methods (participants, material, data collection procedures, conceptual lens (if relevant), data analysis);
- Justification of feasibility;
- Expected outcomes and impact (including knowledge transition plan);
- Project schedule;
- Budget and rationale (if additional funds have been sought for the same study, either in-kind or from another granting institution, it must be clearly indicated with appropriate rationale provided);
- Brief description of team members including experiences related to EDI and Indigenous communities as appropriate;
- List any references that you cited in your proposal;
In addition to the 6-page proposal, a one-page CV for each applicant outlining relevant educational and research experience should be included.
- Note: if a traditional resume does not showcase the lived experience of research partners, please feel free to substitute another representation of their body (and/or examples) of work/perspective (e.g. link to a video or visual body of work)
Please note:
- Ethics review will be required before the funding will be released
- Studies involving medical students must be approved by the Faculty of Medicine Learner Access Advisory Council
Review Process
All received applications will be reviewed by a selection committee that is independent of those who will offer advice and includes health professions education researchers and Indigenous faculty and/or learners.
Submission
Applications may be submitted in either Word or PDF format and are due to the CHES Administrative Manager (CHES.Manager@ubc.ca) by May 26, 2023.