Introduction

Protected time continues to remain an expressed need of many clinician scholars to accomplish their scholarship goals, in addition to the assistance that is available through the MaineHeath Institute for Research, MMC Institute for Teaching Excellence and the BBCH Scholars Academy. In addition, faculty mentorship of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residents is critical to the successful completion of resident scholarship requirements during the three or four years of residency. To address these needs, we have started a pilot initiative called the BBCH Faculty Resident Scholarship Program (FRSP). This program will support up to 0.1 FTE of protected time for faculty members to mentor residents on a scholarly project. The expectation of program participation is regional or national dissemination of scholarship products within 2 years of start of participation.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible to apply?

MMP Physicians with a Tufts Faculty Appointment who are working with a Pediatric or Internal Medicine-Pediatrics resident on a scholarship project (research, quality improvement, education, and advocacy) are eligible to apply. Applicants must additionally be current members of the BBCH Scholarship Academy. The project must involve a resident in substantial contributions to project design; the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; and the drafting, revising, and final approval of the presentation or publication. Participation of a TUSM medical student is optional, but encouraged.

What do FRSP participants receive?

FRSP participants will receive 0.1 FTE for 12 months of time to work with a resident to implement and analyze the results of a project that will lead to scholarly output (an abstract, presentation, or workshop presented at a regional or national meeting and/or peer reviewed paper) within two years. It is up to the scholar and their Division Leadership to determine the faculty’s schedule of clinical and scholarship time. If faculty members want to work together on a project, 0.05 FTE for two scholars may be awarded for a total of 0.1 FTE per project.

How are applications reviewed and selected?

Following an initial screening of the Specific Aims Page by the Pediatric Department and Pediatric Residency leadership, applications will be scored by the BBCH Scholars Academy Steering Committee and the MMC Pediatric Residency Scholarship Rotation leader. The scoring will be guided by the following rubrics for evaluation and applicants that receive top scores will be selected for this program.

Research Project Rubric

Quality Improvement Project Rubric

What will be required of me during program participation?

For continued award of 0.1 FTE throughout the 12-month period of award:

  • Attend series of FRSP meetings as outlined above (6 meetings over 12 months of funding cycle required for mentor and resident mentee)
  • Present at a Work in Progress meeting during funding cycle on your FRSP project (we strongly recommend you include resident mentee as a co-presenter if scheduling allows)
  • Attend at least 3 WIPs per year or other educational offerings from Academy (e.g. Lunch and Learns) during funding period
  • Present at spring Grand Rounds with other FRSP awardees
  • Submit an abstract on FRSP work to Lambrew (MHIR Lambrew Research Retreat) conference during award period
  • Submit an abstract to 1 other regional or national conference on FRSP work
  • Submit FRSP work in a peer-reviewed journal within 1 year of end of data collection
  • Complete exit FRSP survey (mentor and mentee required to complete)
  • Mentor to submit a final project summary at end of funding period (template provided by mentor team)

What support will I have during program participation?

Participants will have access to support from the FRSP leadership team and BBCH Scholars Academy data analyst as well as additional project-specific supports, as needed.

I am a current or past FRSP awardee. How do I reapply?

Since you have likely made changes to your project, have a new project, and/or have a new mentee, you will reapply with a written application as you did when you previously applied. Additionally, you will include a re-application supplement, which can be found at the end of the application instruction documents below. If any documents are unchanged from your previous submission, please submit the document anyway and let us know in your email which documents are unchanged from the past year.

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FRSP Application Submission Deadlines

Fall Start Applications Due: Friday August 22, 2025 at 5pm EST

Spring Start Applications Due: Friday February 6, 2026 at 5pm EST

Please see the guidance below for drafting and compiling your application materials. Please email BBCHSA@MaineHealth.org your application materials by the due date. Applicants will be notified one month from submission if their application was accepted. MaineHealth IRB approval of applicant projects is required for all first-time applicants before the start of the 0.1 FTE award. IRB approval is NOT required for applicants who are reapplying. If accepted into the program a BBCH SA Coordinator will facilitate the FTE process with department and division managers.

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FRSP Application Guidance

Application submission formatting requirements:

  • Arial or Times New Roman, 11-point font
  • No smaller than 0.5 inch margins
  • Single spaced
  • Please submit as a Word document with title “FRSP [Section Title] [First Initial & Last Name of Applicant]”

 

Research Project
Application Instructions

Quality Improvement Project
Application Instructions

 

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Project Timeline Templates

Research Project Timeline

QI Project Timeline

 

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Letter of Support

Please provide a letter of support on division letterhead from the applicant’s division director indicating support for release from 0.1 FTE of clinical duties. Please define the roles and names of the people responsible for the approval and coordination of FTE changes for the applicant. Please indicate that clinical coverage will allow for the applicant’s participation in the FRSP.

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Tufts-Formatted Curriculum Vitae

Please follow the Tufts-Formatted CV template available on the Maine Medical Center Institute for Teaching Excellence Academic Promotion Resources Page

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Please email BBCHSA@MaineHealth.org with any questions about the BBCH SA Faculty Resident Scholarship Program.