NAEMSP/SAEMF Innovations in Prehospital Care Pilot Grant In Memory of E. Brooke Lerner, PhD

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Applications Opening Soon

Open: May 1, 2026

Deadline: August 1, 2026

 

This document provides an overview of this grant. For complete instructions on applying, please see the Detailed Instructions. For submission instructions and SAEMF policies, visit How To Apply. For answers to other common questions, visit our Grants FAQ or email grants@saem.org.

 

Purpose of the Award

The National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) / SAEMF Innovations in Prehospital Care Pilot Grant - In Memory of E. Brooke Lerner, PhD, provides $50,000* over a one-year period starting July 1 to support a team of early-career investigators, consisting of one physician/researcher and one EMS professional, in innovating prehospital emergency care. This grant is structured to provide both dedicated support for career development and funding for a focused pilot research project, cultivating pathways for prehospital care researchers by enabling hands-on scientific inquiry and fostering the skills, mentorship, and academic preparation necessary to become competitive for subsequent funding.

*The grant will award $25,000 from NAEMSP and SAEMF, respectively totaling $50,000 over a one-year period.

The goals of the grant are to:

  1. Provide support to a research team consisting of one physician/researcher and one EMS professional for preliminary data collection, analysis, or collection of pilot data that will further support greater research endeavors leading to innovation in prehospital care systems.
  2. Applicants are encouraged to propose projects that address critical gaps or explore innovations in prehospital care, including but not limited to:
    • Field / disaster triage
    • Pediatric emergency medicine
    • Quality of care
    • Cardiac arrest and resuscitation science
    • Social determinants of health in EMS
    • Community paramedicine / mobile integrated health
    • Behavioral emergencies
    • EMS informatics
    • Workforce wellbeing and safety
    • Stroke care
  3. Applicants may allocate a portion of their budget for career development (tuition/coursework, mentorship/coaching, professional development travel, books/software/resources).

Proposals should demonstrate strong mentorship and include a defined career development plan that enhances the applicant team's future in academic emergency medicine and prehospital research.

Expectations of the Award

The awardees are expected to:

  • Attend the NAEMSP and/or SAEM Annual Meeting during the award year.
  • Submit interim and final progress reports in accordance with SAEMF instructions.
  • Submit an abstract reporting the results of the research project for presentation at the NAEMSP and/or SAEM Annual Meeting. As the selection of research abstracts is a competitive process, acceptance is not assured.
  • Publish a manuscript (with awardee as first or senior author) arising from the project in a peer-reviewed journal within two years of completing the award.

Eligibility of the Award

Applicant teams for the grant must:

  • Include the partnership of a faculty level researcher and an EMS professional (non-physician) as co-principal investigators (co-PIs). The physician/researcher must have an advanced/doctoral or terminal educational degree (e.g., MD, DO, PhD, DSc, or equivalent).
  • Include a faculty member in good standing as an SAEM or NAEMSP member at application deadline and during the entire award period.
  • Be actively affiliated (e.g., have a faculty or adjunct appointment and/or full-time employment) with an EMS agency or department/division of emergency medicine or pediatric emergency medicine at the start of the award period.
  • Not have received this grant previously.
  • Applicant teams for this award are expected to be at different stages of research career development. Applicant teams may apply as:
    • (1) mentored research scientists* (team consists of a faculty co-PI with an identified mentor AND an EMS clinician co-PI) OR (2) independent research scientists** (team consists of faculty co-PI and EMS clinician co-PI).
  • The involvement and availability of mentorship and collaboration appropriate for the applicants' career stage will be one of the criteria considered by the review committee, and applications should include a Multi PI Plan.

*Mentored Research Scientist: Applicant teams applying as mentored researchers should adhere to the mentor eligibility criteria described in the Eligibility Criteria for SAEMF Grants. For mentored applicants, the review committee will consider whether the mentorship plan is appropriate for the candidate's career stage, the prior relationship with the mentor, and whether the candidate will be prepared for independent funding after the conclusion of the mentorship plan.

**Independent Research Scientist: Applicant teams applying as independent research scientists must have at least one co-PI with a track record of high-quality publications or prior funding that demonstrate a career stage appropriate for independent funding. Applicants need not have an identified primary mentor, though evidence of collaboration with senior investigators in the design and conduct of the research plan will be looked upon favorably. For independent research scientists, the review committee will consider whether the investigators and research team, after the conduct of the proposed study, will be able to submit a compelling application for independent federal funding.

Full Eligibility Criteria, Detailed Instructions, and Additional Information for SAEMF Grants can be found here.

 

Updated April 29, 2026