Interprofessional Innovation in Education Fund Award

OVERVIEW

The Interprofessional Innovation in Education Fund Award is a new funding opportunity open to all 22,000 MaineHealth care team members. Maine Medical Center (MMC) Department of Medical Education (DME) and MaineHealth Innovation are collaborating to support novel ideas that solve an unmet health care professional education need.

We invite you to submit innovative learning and development models (e.g., curriculum), processes or products that will positively impact learners and help us achieve the MaineHealth vision of working together so our communities are the healthiest in America.

In the spirit of interprofessional collaboration, this award requires that the applicant and implementation team represent more than one health profession. Ideally, your innovative idea will also apply to learning and development in more than one health profession.

2023 Recipients

Frank Chessa

Healthcare Ethics Consultation: Developing interdisciplinary expertise to serve the health system
Frank Chessa, PhD, Maine Medical Center

Michael Defrancisco

Preparing Today’s Healthcare Workers for Tomorrow’s Emergencies Utilizing Simulation with a Portable Integrated Patient Monitor
Michael Defrancisco, RN, Maine Medical Center

Sara Nelson

Developing Cultural Humility in the ED through a Simulated Experience for Interprofessional Learners in the Health Professions
Sara Nelson, MD, Maine Medical Center

APPLY

Calls for Application – Opens February 29, 2024

  • Deadline is April 12, 2024 at 11:59pm
  • All materials must be submitted by the established deadline in order to be considered for selection
APPLY ONLINE

INFO SESSIONS

  • March 13, 2024, 7-8am
  • March 14, 2024, 12-1pm
  • March 21, 2024, 7-8am

Contact Jiaqi Shi (Jiaqi.Shi@mainehealth.org) to register

LEARN MORE

Download the 2024 Interprofessional Innovation in Education Fund Award Flyer

DETAILS

Priority will be given to applicants who can identify 2-5 specific learning objectives and examples for how those may be met by learners of different professions and/or discuss how they will adapt the learning to meet the needs of different disciplines and professions. If examples do not exist, applicants should provide a “vision” of this innovative approach.

Learners are defined broadly and can include clinicians at any level of training or practice, and may also include patients as a group of learners. Applying and collaborating in digital transformation in healthcare is also a priority as this is occurring at an increasingly rapid pace (e.g., artificial intelligence, machine learning, and augmented reality). Priority will be given to the “future of” projects and novel experiential education projects.

Application

Apply online or email innovation_center@mainehealth.org. 

The application should address the following questions in 3 pages or less, single-spaced, 12-font:

  • Describe the unmet need.
  • Describe the innovation.
  • Describe the impact of the proposed novel project/solution on the MaineHealth mission.
  • Explain how this novel solution impacts more than one of the MaineHealth strategic priorities of Patients, People, Population and Value.
  • Describe the desired outcomes of this novel solution and how success will be measured.
  • Describe the opportunities and/or need for external or institutional funding to continue the project after pilot funding is complete. How is the project sustainable?
  • How might this project create intellectual property for the innovators?
  • Describe how this project will be disseminated including but not limited to scholarly publications or presentations.
  • Describe the interprofessional team that is engaged with this work. Do you have the experience and passion to make this idea a reality?
  • Please note if the team has department support from your supervisors and leaders for this project. Confirm that you have the time to complete the work within the timeframe of the grant funding.

In addition to the above project description, applicants should submit:

  • If you have an existing biosketch please submit that. If not, please share a summary of each team leader’s background including relevant skills and expertise necessary to complete the proposed project. This does not need to be longer than one paragraph for each person.
  • If additional skills and expertise are required to complete the project, identify who the team members will be, or who from other partner institutions such as The Roux Institute or University of Maine, will provide the appropriate expertise and skills.
  • If resources from other departments are required to complete the project please submit a letter of support from the appropriate department leader.
  • A brief letter of support from the applicants’ supervisors.

Completed applications Due: April 10, 2023 at 11:59pm
We encourage applicants to meet with Dr. Bob Bing-You prior to submitting the application – Contact Dr. Bing-You

Info Session and Office Hours
Pre-registration for the below sessions is required

Five-minute pitch and Q & A to Selection Committee: Wednesday, May 17, 2023 in the afternoon by Zoom
We encourage applicants to meet with Dr. Bob Bing-You prior to submitting the pitch day presentation – Contact Dr. Bing-You

Committee Review with Decision: by June 30, 2023

Initiation of Project: September 1, 2023

This award is open to all 22,000 MaineHealth care team members. Applicant leaders must include a care team member of the MaineHealth community. Projects must be collaborative in nature representing more than one discipline.  Faculty, staff and learners from across the educational continuum are encouraged and welcome to apply.

Projects should have a scope and objectives that can be accomplished within 6–12 months, with defined and measurable milestones and objectives.

The budget should not exceed $10,000 and may be less, depending on the scope of the proposal.  Under special, uncommon circumstances, proposals with budgets greater than $10,000 will be considered. If such is the intent, this should be clearly indicated in the application and fully justified in the actual application. Budgets cannot include requests for salary support.  Budgets can include requests for supplies, consultants, resources, and other items necessary to accomplish the aims of the project. With rare exceptions travel will not be funded.

If projects utilize any human subjects or sensitive data, appropriate training and institutional approvals through the MMC Institutional Review Board (IRB) will be required and must be initiated prior to receiving an award and beginning the project.

Grant recipients agree to:

    • Participate in monthly group check-in sessions.
    • Submit interim progress reports including budgets at 6-month intervals to verify progress on the proposed time line.
    • Submit a final report and, if applicable, an educational product within 60 days of the completion of the funding period.
    • Submit timely submission of receipts for grant expenses.

Questions?
Visit our Innovation in Education Fund page, or email  email innovation_center@mainehealth.org with any questions.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is an educational “process”?
This can be defined broadly.

Does my novel education solution have to be either a new model, a product, or a process, or can it be a combination of all three?
Think big and broad! Applications that incorporate elements of all three types of solutions may make for a stronger application, but it is not required.

Does the proposed solution have to be innovative in terms of the approach itself, the stakeholders and professions being brought together, or the actual educational content being delivered?
Yes, yes and yes! An ideal solution may incorporate all of these elements.

Is there a repository of prior projects?
This is the first time this funding opportunity has been offered, so there are no prior examples. An ideal solution will be highly Interprofessional in focus, innovative and novel.

Are APPs and physicians considered different professions?
Yes. Note that your project team should be Interprofessional.

What if my novel solution is a curriculum that could potentially be copyrighted and sold?
Please visit the MaineHealth Intellectual Property webpage for more information on how to protect innovative ideas.

Will this funding opportunity be offered every year?
This annual funding opportunity is first offered in 2022 with hopes to continue in future years.

Does the proposed solution have to generate intellectual property?
No, this is not a requirement, but your solution may be unique enough to file a patent. The MaineHealth Director of Intellectual Property and MaineHealth Innovation are available to support you in this process, if applicable.

Is it possible for a project to be completed before the 12-month project period?
Yes, the project can be completed any time within the project period.

Can a portion of the award be applied to sustaining work into the future or does the award only support initial costs?
We would like you to ideally use a majority of the funds in the 12-month time period. The intent of this award is to make your novel educational innovation stronger to secure additional funds from other sources in the future.

Can the funding be used for staffing and personnel needs?

No, the award cannot be used to supplement MaineHealth FTEs. A small portion of the award can, however, be used to pay for consultant services.

Can the funding be used to provide participants with incentives?
Yes, that is possible as long as the incentives fall within the MaineHealth Human Resources guidelines on incentives and gifts.

Can funding be used to innovate upon an existing educational program?
Yes, that is possible.

How many awards will be funded this cycle?
We expect to fund 4 awards.

What are the monthly group check-in sessions for?
The monthly group check-in sessions are dedicated times to ask questions and see how we can support you as you move your project forward. It is a great opportunity to get insights from the other fund recipients, too.

What background information is needed on the project team members?
If you have an existing biosketch please submit that. If not, please share a summary of each team leader’s background including relevant skills and expertise necessary to complete the proposed project. This does not need to be longer than one paragraph for each person.

I am listing another provider as part of the project team in my application. Does that provider need to do anything to submit this application?
Not necessarily. Please list all project team members in your application document. We are looking for an Interprofessional project team. Anyone can submit an application on behalf of the project team. The listed project team members are the ones who will execute the project.

Can I submit this application on behalf of the project team, even though I will not have anything to do with the project itself?
Yes, it just needs to be clear in the application who the project team members, and co-leaders, are.

PAST PROJECTS

Healthcare Ethics Consultation: Developing interdisciplinary expertise to serve the health system
Frank Chessa, PhD, Maine Medical Center

Preparing Today’s Healthcare Workers for Tomorrow’s Emergencies Utilizing Simulation with a Portable Integrated Patient Monitor
Michael Defrancisco, RN, Maine Medical Center

Developing Cultural Humility in the ED through a Simulated Experience for Interprofessional Learners in the Health Professions
Sara Nelson, MD, Maine Medical Center

Neurological Intensive Care Unit (Neuro-ICU) Follow-up
Angela LeClerc, PA, Critical Care, Maine Medical Center

Interprofessional Adult Hospital Acquired Sepsis Education
Amanda Bennett, RN, Nursing Professional Development Specialist, Meaghan Anderson, RN, Clinical Nurse Educator, Anne Dean, MD, Hospital Medicine Physician, Sarah Chang, Improvement Specialist, Maine Medical Center