Grants and Fellowships

$25,000 grants will be awarded to provide funds to develop exciting investigator-initiated concepts, which will hopefully lead to successful longer term project funding from the NIH or equivalent funding sources. Funding for grant recipients will begin on August 31st of the award year. Research results will be submitted for presentation at future AAPM meetings. The award is not intended to provide salary support for the applicant, however any other research-related expenses, including travel to scientific meetings, will be supported. Travel expense should be included in the submitted budget. At the end of the 12-month period a report must be forwarded to the AAPM, along with itemized expenses. The award will not support indirect costs. Any unspent funds should be returned to AAPM.

Program Contact: Karen MacFarland

The purpose of the AAPM funding is to provide 50% support of a resident's salary for two imaging physics residency programs. The awardee institution(s) will provide the other 50% support. After the period of the award is over, the intent is that the awardee institution(s) will continue to fully support this new imaging physics residency position. Demonstration of this intent should be included in the application materials.

• CAMPEP accreditation is expected within the first year of the funding period, if a program is not currently accredited.
• Open to existing or new imaging residency programs.
• 1st priority “ New programs“ (hence new slots), no previous funding from any AAPM program. A new program is defined as one that has applied for CAMPEP accreditation after January 1, 2022, or has not yet applied for CAMPEP accreditation.
• 2nd priority “ Existing programs“ but with new slots, no previous funding from any AAPM program. A new slot is defined as one that has been created or filled after January 1, 2022.
• 3rd priority - "Existing programs" but with new slots, has had previous funding from any AAPM program. A new slot is defined as one that has been created or filled after January 1, 2022.

Program Contact: Karen MacFarland

AAPM and the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) are happy to announce a jointly funded research seed grant for Medical Physics Residents and Post-Doctoral Fellows. The goal of the joint seed grant is to advance the field of radiation oncology in novel ways through the support of early-career scientists involved in radiation oncology physics-related research. With this jointly supported grant, both societies aim to help support the next generation of researchers in the field of radiation oncology. Up to two awards ($25,000 maximum / each) are anticipated. The 2023 award cycle will begin on July 1, 2023 and end on June 20, 2024.

Sponsored by the AAPM Science Council through the AAPM Education & Research Fund and the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

Eligibility Criteria:

• Must be a current and active ASTRO and AAPM member or have submitted an application for ASTRO and AAPM membership as of the due date of the seed grant application. Visit the linked sites to apply for AAPM and ASTRO membership.
• Must show a commitment to a career focusing on physics-related research with a radiation oncology component.
• Must work at an institution with a well-established research and clinical career development program and qualified faculty in physics and radiation oncology to serve as mentors.
• Must be a physics resident or post-doctoral fellow. Physics residents: your institution must be willing to commit 75% of your time to research for at least one year.

Application Instructions: Please refer to attached flyer/program announcement for specific details on what to submit.  Applications for the ASTRO-AAPM Physics Resident/Post-Doctoral Fellow Seed Grant must be received by February 15, 2023 at 11:59 PM Eastern time.

Program Contact: Shana Donchatz

The Expanding Horizons Travel Grant program is designed to provide students and trainees with an opportunity to broaden the scope of scientific meetings attended in their career. The proposed meeting should introduce new and relevant topics which may ultimately be incorporated into current or future medical physics research and progress the field in new directions.

Program Year 2023 will be broken into two application cycles: 

• Spring (Round 1)
• Fall (Round 2)

The total amount of support funding for use against travel, registration, and/or other expenses associated with attending the proposed meeting will be provided in the form of a reimbursement and is based on attendance type:

• $1,250 if attending IN-PERSON –or– 
• $500 if attending VIRTUALLY/ONLINE ONLY

Please Note: $250 of the total award amount—regardless of attendance type—is contingent on a short presentation given by awardee at the next available AAPM Annual Meeting & Exhibition.

PROGRAM GOALS

• Send junior AAPM researchers to scientific meetings where they may have the opportunity to interact with researchers from other fields. 
• Provide junior researchers with the ability to learn new skills from experts in fields outside of medical physics. 
• Introduce new topics and ideas from other scientific communities (medicine, physics/engineering, etc.) to the field of medical physics.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Proposed meeting cannot be specifically related to medical physics.
• Proposed meeting must take place between December 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023.
• Must be a current graduate student, post-doctoral candidate, or current resident within five years of graduation at time of submission.
• Must be an AAPM member in good standing at the time of submission.
• Must not be a past Expanding Horizons awardee.

EXAMPLES OF INELIGIBLE MEETINGS

• Any AAPM-sponsored meeting
• American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting
• Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Annual Meeting
• Any meeting regularly attended by institutional group/program (judged on case-by-case basis)
• Any meeting that has previously been supported by an Expanding Horizons Travel Grant under the same Faculty/Advisor/Principal Investigator

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Cover Letter/Personal Statement

• Long-term career goals
• Motivation to attend proposed meeting
• Expected scientific value of attendance on dissertation project or future research

Curriculum Vitae

• Limit to education, publications, presentations, and any relevant awards

Letter of Recommendation

• Must also confirm that additional expenses outside of total award amount will be covered

Budget/Overall Expected Expenses

Program Contact: Payton Brown

This program has been established to recognize and cultivate outstanding researchers at an early stage in their careers, with the goal of promoting a long-term commitment to science within AAPM. The program uses the process of shadowing to integrate the Associates into the scientific activities of the organization. Our review working group will select eight Associates then assign each one to a Mentor from the AAPM Science Council, Research Committee, Data Sciences Committee, Therapy Physics Committee, Imaging Physics Committee, or Technology Assessment Committee. The Associate will participate in selected meetings of their assigned Mentor's Committee and join a Task Group (chosen with input from the Mentor). Other shadowing AAPM-related activities include abstract review, Young Investigator judging, committee activities at the Annual Meeting, etc.

The Science Council (SC) Associates will participate in the program through the end of the following calendar year. Each Associate will be reimbursed up to $2000 to cover the costs (travel-related expenses including flight, hotel, and meeting registration) to attend the 2023 Annual Meeting in Houston and the 2024 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles. Announcement details along with Associate's picture and short biosketch will be posted on the AAPM website by early June.

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Eligibility Criteria:

• Early career Medical Physicists within five years of earning a doctoral degree. Priority will be given to Medical Physicists who have completed their PhD and are either currently in residency or beginning their career.
• Must be a member of AAPM at the time of application (any membership category) and maintain membership for the duration of the award period.
• Pending membership status not acceptable.
• Prior Mentorship Program recipients are ineligible.

Required Supporting Documentation (Documents may be combined and submitted as one PDF):

• Cover letter outlining current contributions to Medical Physics research, describing future career plans, and reasons for interest in the Mentorship program. The Cover Letter should specify the committee(s) and/or committee member(s) of interest e.g., Science Council, Research Committee, Therapy Physics Committee, Imaging Physics Committee, or Technology Assessment Committee, and/or member(s) therein
• A diversity statement limited to one single-spaced page that describes how you will support and achieve SCAMP and AAPM’s goals of equity, diversity and inclusion, especially as it relates to supporting the role of women and underrepresented groups in the field.
• CV (no more than 4 pages)
• Brief letter of support from institution during the SCAMP tenure. This letter indicates support for the time commitment that SCAMP requires. Not a letter of recommendation.

Sponsored by the AAPM Science Council through the AAPM Education & Research Fund.

AAPM members must log in to access the application. If you are not yet an AAPM member, consider applying now to be eligible.

Program Contact: Shana Donchatz

The Fellowship awards program has been restructured from its original single award mechanism to 4 Doctoral awards (PhD or DMP) and 3 MS awards each of $10,000. Additionally, one of the MS and Doctoral awards will be reserved for under-represented applicants (see details below).

Program Contact: Karen MacFarland

The Science Council sponsors this exceptional opportunity administered by the Research Committee to support up to two early-career research-oriented AAPM members to become members of the Council of Early Career Investigators in Imaging (CECI²). CECI² membership includes a year of virtual meetings and possible fully-sponsored in-person attendance at the Medical Imaging Technology Showcase (MedTech), a series of advocacy meetings and NIH events over three days in Washington, DC. (TBD Spring 2023). CECI² is a program hosted and organized by the Academy of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research.

CECI² includes two levels of membership:

Level 1 membership will engage participants in a digital setting through a variety of webinars, discussions, and workshops with academic Chairs, NIH Program Staff, and industry and society partners, focused on advocacy, NIH funding, mock NIH study sessions, grant application and resubmission, and career development. The Academy estimates that Level 1 programming and participation will last six to eight months and begin in Spring 2022.

Level 2 membership will include invited participants from Level 1, and offer an opportunity for in-person AAPM-sponsored travel to (contingent on the evolving COVID-19 pandemic) and participation in the Academy’s Medical Imaging Technology Showcase, Congressional Events and NIH Meetings. In order to be considered for Level 2 participation, investigators will be chosen from Level 1 by an internal Advisory Council based on meeting a number of benchmarks associated with their Level 1 participation – these criteria will ensure that investigators are highly engaged and motivated throughout the virtual programming of Level 1.

Testimonials from 2021-22 AAPM CECIs can be found here, and more information on the program can be found here.

ELIGIBILITY:

1. Post-doctoral fellow, diagnostic or nuclear medicine medical physics resident or fellow, or junior faculty member (i.e. no more than 10 years after post-graduate training and no prior substantial grant-funding as a PI).
2. Research focus must be in radiology or biomedical imaging.
3. Must be a member of AAPM in good standing at the time of application (any membership category) and maintain membership for the duration of the participation period. Pending membership status is not acceptable.

REQUIRED SUPPORTING MATERIAL

1. Cover letter outlining why you wish to attend this event, including information about how it fits into your professional goals.
2. Abbreviated CV (5 pages max).
3. For residents and fellows, a letter from your supervisor your ability to attend, if selected.
4. Two letters of support (one from your supervisor or department Chair), maximum two pages each.
5. A short descriptions of your research in layman terms (1-page-minimum). You will potentially be discussing these topics in Congressional meetings on Capitol Hill, and much of your target audience will have a non-scientific background.
6. CECIs meet with representative from NIH Institutes and Centers. Please indicate which Institutes and Centers you would be interested in visiting and why.

Program Contact: Emily Townley

Best Medical will provide a $500 stipend to be used for travel, food and lodging expenses to attend in person the 2023 Annual Meeting in Houston. AAPM will provide complimentary 2023 Annual Meeting registration for each recipient, including social functions. Best Medical will also provide a plaque for each of the fellowship recipients to be presented by Best Medical during the 2023 Annual Meeting with photographs of the presentations. Best Medical and AAPM will have the right to use these photographs, and indicate each recipient's name and identifying information in recognizing the recipient's achievement of being selected for the fellowship.

Program Contact: Karen MacFarland

The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Program is a 10 week summer program designed to provide opportunities for undergraduate university students to gain experience in medical physics by performing research in a medical physics laboratory or assisting with clinical service at a clinical facility. The term of the fellowship is May - September. The mentor and Fellow will determine the exact 10 week schedule. In this program, AAPM serves as a clearinghouse to match exceptional students with exceptional medical physicists, many who are faculty at leading research centers. Students participating in the program are placed into summer positions that are consistent with their interest. Students are selected for the program on a competitive basis to be an AAPM summer fellow. Each summer fellow receives a $6,000 stipend from AAPM. The stipend is based upon an expectation of 40-hour per week effort for 10 weeks.

What is Medical Physics?

Eligibility Criteria:

Each student applicant shall have completed at least 2 years of their undergraduate studies, but shall not have graduated. Students with graduation date of May 2023 are not eligible. Applicants shall have declared a major or be eligible to declare a major in physics, engineering, or other science, which requires mathematics at least through differential equations, modern physics/quantum mechanics, electricity and magnetism or equivalent courses in engineering sciences. Summer Undergraduate Fellowships are restricted to U.S. citizens, Canadian citizens and Permanent residents of the U.S. Prior Summer Undergraduate Fellowship recipients are not eligible.

Submission Instructions for Students:

1. Complete online application. Use the CV template on the last page; your CV is required as an upload.
2. Two signed letters of recommendation must be sent via email to karen@aapm.org.
3. Official transcripts must be sent via email to karen@aapm.org.
4. Proof of health insurance required after fellow selection is made.

Submission Instructions for Mentors:

1. Complete online application.
2. In addition there are two required uploads:
   - CV
   - signed Attestation and Indemnification form, which can be downloaded from the last page of the application.

Program Contact: Karen MacFarland

The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Diversity Recruitment through Education and Mentoring Program "DREAM" is a 10 week summer program designed to increase the number of women and racially underrepresented groups in medical physics by offering research opportunities, outreach and strategic mentorship geared towards recruiting a more robust and diverse group of skilled undergraduate students in the field of medical physics. DREAM students will be placed into summer research and mentorship groups that are consistent with their research and career interests. DREAM fellows are selected on a competitive basis. Selected DREAM fellows are awarded $6,000 stipends. The stipend is based upon an expectation of 40-hour per week effort for 10 weeks (May to September) which is mutually suitable to the mentor and fellow.

Eligibility:

Each student applicant shall have completed at least 2 years of their undergraduate studies, but shall not have graduated. Students with a graduation date of May 2023 are not eligible. Applicants shall have declared a major or be eligible to declare a major in physics, engineering, or other science, which requires mathematics at least through differential equations, modern physics/quantum mechanics, electricity and magnetism or equivalent courses in engineering sciences. DREAM Fellowships are restricted to U.S. citizens, Canadian citizens and Permanent residents of the U.S. Prior fellowship recipients not eligible.

Submission Instructions for Students:

1. Complete online application. Be sure to address diversity and/or the impact this fellowship would have on you in your self-statement. Use the CV template on the last page; your CV is required as an upload.
2. Two signed letters of recommendation must be sent via email to karen@aapm.org.
3. Official transcripts must be sent via email to karen@aapm.org.
4. Proof of health insurance required after fellow selection is made.

Submission Instructions for Mentors:

1. Complete online application.
2. In addition there are two required uploads:
   - CV
   - signed Attestation and Indemnification form, which can be downloaded from the last page of the application.

Program Contact: Karen MacFarland