Submission Timeline –  August 15 – September 30

The mission of the SPR is to create a multi-disciplinary network of diverse researchers to improve child health. Implicit in our mission is our foundational commitment to supporting the success of young investigators in child health research through activities that include facilitating connections with peers, potential collaborators and national mentors.

The PRomotion of FellOwS‘ PEdiatric Research (PROSPER) Diversity Award will provide material support and mentoring for a one-year pediatric research project that will facilitate an academic research-focused career trajectory for fellows from under-represented in medicine background(s).

The support mechanism of this competitive award will provide a $7,500 award with a match from the recipient’s organization. Funds may come from mentor, chair, diversity office, and/or other source and the source needs to be defined in the letter of support from Division Head or Department Chair.

Criteria

• Commitment of candidate to pediatric research-oriented career.
• Potential for candidate to succeed as an academic investigator.
• Availability of adequate mentoring at candidate’s institution.
• Benefit provided to candidate by mentoring and support by award.

 Eligibility

• MD, DO and/or PhD
• Preference given to those who are Emerging to Established (E2E) members of the Society for Pediatric Research. Those who are not yet E2E members are encouraged to apply as membership is open to all fellows.
• Accepted to and/or enrolled in a fellowship.
• Conducting or planning to conduct child or adolescent health research (basic, preclinical, clinical, or implementation and health services research).
• Self-identification as under-represented in medicine background(s). Individuals from groups identified by NIH as under-represented in biomedical, clinical, behavioral and social sciences such as Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and women as well as individuals with disabilities or other life experiences that contribute to diversity  are encouraged to apply.
• Intends to pursue an academic career with major focus on pediatric research.
• Able to conduct a one-year research project which can occur at any time during fellowship (i.e. flexibility exists as to what year of fellowship the project starts).
• Will submit abstract of work for a PAS Meeting.

 Application

• Applicant’s Personal Information
• Photo
• Short Bio
• Blinded and Unblinded Descriptions of:
  • Area of Expertise – 2-3 sentences.
  • Research Accomplishments – 150 words max.
  • Career Goals and Objectives – 150 words max.
  • Specific Aim of Current Research – 450 words max.
  • Why is external mentoring important and in what areas? – 150 words max.
• Blinded and Unblinded Applicant’s NIH Biosketch
• List of Past and Current Mentors
  • Include name and title.
  • Include institution and project title/description.
• List of Mentors who I think would be appropriate mentors for me (at any institution):
  • Include name and title.
  • Include institution and rationale of why this mentor would be a good mentor for applicant.
• Letter of Support from Division Head or Department Chair addressing how external mentoring provided by this program would be beneficial.

Submission Timeline: August 15 – September 30

Established in 2003, the Maureen Andrew Mentor Award honors the contributions of Dr. Maureen Andrew to the field of child health research. The award recognizes outstanding mentor leadership that generates excitement, creativity, and scholarships leading to outstanding research and teaching.

Eligibility

• Must be a Pediatrician.
• Must have a sustained record of excellence as a mentor, defined as an individual who demonstrates attributes of a teacher, sponsor, guide, mentor, role model, counselor.

Nomination Requirements

• Current Curriculum Vitae of the Nominee
  • Include Supervisory/Mentor activities.
  • Research productivity by Mentees should be indicated by highlighting the names in each publication.
• List of Mentees
  • Present as a spreadsheet or table.
  • Include the following: Training/Faculty level at the time of mentorship, current academic appointment, an indication as to whether mentees are currently recipients of operating grants awarded by NIH and/or non-governmental organizations, other academic leadership or research contributions (e.g. research awards).
• List of Mentoring Activities (other than direct supervision of research)
  • Could include leadership within a training grant, development/implementation of mentoring activities at the local, national or international level, mentoring activities within professional organizations and academic health science centers.
• Letter of Nomination and 3 Letters of Support (4 letters total)
  • Letters should provide evidence regarding how the nominee has displayed mentor-related attributes including sponsor, mentor, guide, role model and counselor.
  • Letters should include the impact of the nominee’s mentorship on the career development of those mentored.

Selection

• The Committee for the Maureen Andrew Mentor Award will be solely responsible for the selection of the recipients.
• Members of the selection committee cannot nominate or support any nominations.
• Awards will only be chosen when there are eligible candidates.

Award

• The award will be presented to one individual annually.
• Award recognition at the PAS Meeting.
• Economy-level travel expenses, hotel accommodations for 2 nights and PAS meeting registration will be provided.
• The awardee will receive an honorarium after the PAS Meeting.

This award was established by the SPR Council in 2002 and honors a special individual who has provided exceptional service to the Society over an extended period of time.

Nominees are identified and awardees selected by the SPR Council. Award recognition at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Meeting.

Award sponsored by

Submission Timeline: August 15 – September 30

Since 1939, the SPR Award in honor of E. Mead Johnson has recognized outstanding pediatric research achievements. The award recognizes important achievements across clinical, translational, laboratory, and/or health services child health research, and seeks to celebrate a diverse community of pediatric researchers. The most prestigious honor bestowed by the SPR, this award recognizes E. Mead Johnson’s legacy of research excellence and impact on child health that continues to inspire the pediatric community today.

Eligibility

• Must be in an academic faculty position for at least 7 years, but not more than 20 years.
• Must have a strong record of independent productivity and innovation in child health research, evidenced by publications, grant funding, and national / international recognition.

Required Nomination Components

• Current Curriculum Vitae of the Nominee.
  • Include a bibliography of published works of the nominee, with an asterisk next to the most significant contributions.
  • Include research funding history.
• Detailed Letter of Nomination.
  • Originality and impact of the nominee’s research work.
  • Value of research output in contributing knowledge to the overall field of pediatrics. Include references to literature where appropriate.
  • National and/or international recognition and leadership positions held by the nominee.
• Two (2) Letters of Support.
  • At least one of these support letters should be from outside the nominee’s institution.
  • These additional support letters should not be from direct collaborators/co-authors of the nominee or from supervisors.
• Three (3) Recent Papers (published within the last 5 years).
  • These articles should reflect the nominee’s best and most impactful or innovative work.
  • Selection of these works is a major point of evaluation.

Selection

• The Committee for the E. Mead Johnson Award will be solely responsible for recipient selection.
• Members of the selection committee are not permitted to nominate or support any nominations.
• Awards will only be granted when there are eligible candidates.
• Award is supported by Reckitt | Mead Johnson Nutrition.
• Award winner will be under no obligation to Reckitt | Mead Johnson Nutrition.

Award

The Award will be presented to one individual annually.

• Award recognition at the PAS Meeting.
• Economy-level travel expenses, hotel accommodations for up to 4 nights, and PAS Meeting registration will be provided.
• The awardee will receive an honorarium after the PAS Meeting.

Submission Timeline: August 15 – September 30

This award was established to honor Dr. Douglas K. Richardson’s contributions to child health services, perinatal and pediatric research, and the Society for Pediatric Research. The award honors the lifetime achievement of an investigator who has made substantive contributions in child health.

Eligibility
Must be child health researchers of any specialty or advanced degree, including PhD researchers.
Must have displayed a sustained record of excellence as a clinical investigator.
Does not have to be a member of the Society for Pediatric Research.

Nomination Requirements

• Curriculum Vitae of Nominee.
  • Include research activities.
• Detailed Letter of Nomination providing evidence of substantive research contributions in any of the following:
  • Effective utilization of healthcare services.
  • Identification of risk factors for adverse outcomes.
  • General epidemiologic health services studies.
  • Patient-oriented clinical studies that lead to improved healthcare delivery to the neonatal or broad pediatric populations.
• Three Letters of Support (other than Nominator).
  • Should substantiate the nominee’s research career achievements and/or evidence of mentorship.

Selection

• The Committee for the Douglas K. Richardson Award will be solely responsible for recipient selection.
• Members of the selection committee cannot nominate or support any nominations.
• The award will be presented to one individual annually at the PAS Meeting.
• Awards will only be chosen when there are eligible candidates.

Award

• Award recognition at the PAS Meeting.
• Economy-level travel expenses and hotel accommodations for 2 nights will be provided to attend the PAS Meeting.
• Complimentary registration to PAS Meeting will be provided.
• The awardee will receive an honorarium after the PAS Meeting.

Award sponsored by

Submission Timeline: August 15 – September 30

Established in 2025, the Nutrition Research Advocate Award, sponsored by Abbott, honors a member of the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR) community for their work and contributions in nutrition services research. This award provides recognition of excellence in nutrition research.

Eligibility Criteria 

• Child health researchers committed to research excellence in nutrition
• Proven record of successful contributions to the community and advancing child health

Nomination Requirements

• Self-nomination and/or peer nomination
• CV
• Bibliography of published works
• Detailed letter of nomination
• Letters of support – 2

Submission Timeline – November 1, 2024 – January 2, 2025

The mission of SPR is to cultivate a diverse network of child health researchers through collaboration, community, mentorship, and advocacy. Implicit in our mission is our foundational commitment to supporting the success of young investigators in child health research through activities that include facilitating connections with peers, potential collaborators, and national mentors.

The SPR Bridging to Success Award, a program initiated in 2016, supports transitioning pediatric physician-scientists and other researchers involved in pediatric research, who have submitted a NIH funded Career Development Award in the K08 and K23 categories, AHRQ-funded Career Development Awards in K08 and K01 (must be an MD), PhD scientists in K99 and R00 categories, or previously submitted A0 or A1 grant, which although not funded, may be potentially competitive on resubmission (including a 3rd submission) to the NIH.

The support mechanism consists of $40,000 awarded to the sponsoring institution with no indirect costs. The sponsoring institution and Department match the $40,000, thereby constituting $80,000 of the awardee’s support for two years. Salary support is the preferred mechanism of support though alternative uses of awarded funds may be considered on a case-by-case basis if justification for the use of funds for non-salary-related costs (which must be provided by the awardee) is approved by the SPR Awards committee. In all cases, at least 75% protected research effort must be assured. The award does not allow for fringe or indirect costs and these costs should be covered by the institution from separate sources. The $40,000 from SPR will be disbursed in two installments: $20,000 the first year starting on July 1, and the second installment of $20,000 the following year on July 1, dependent on the K not being funded as of June 30^th of that year.

Eligibility 

• MD or MD/PhD, MPH, DO, MS, DDS/PhD, DVM applicant who is an SPR Active member or SPR Emerging to Established “E2E” member, formerly known as junior section member (rolling admission for SPR E2E applicants is available). NOTE: there is no limit to the number of applicants from a single institution.
• This award is meant to serve as a bridge for applicants who have applied for the following funding opportunities:
  • NIH funded Career Development Awards in the K08 and K23 categories
  • AHRQ-funded Career Development Awards in the K08 and K01 categories
  • PhD scientists in the K99 and R00 categories.
• Eligible candidates must have submitted a previous A0 or A1 application which has been fully reviewed with the application’s Summary Statement. That Summary Statement must be dated within the 2-calendar years of this Request for Application (RFA), dated January 1, 2023, or later. Please submit a summary statement. Unfortunately, we are not able to consider applications which lack a Summary Statement.
• Intramural K Award program applications, such as the K12 and KL2 Programs, are not eligible.

Main Round Application

• A Letter of Intent signed by the applicant and sponsoring department chair includes:
  • Agreement by the sponsoring department/institution to match the SPR award and to contribute the total amount (i.e. SPR award plus department/institution match) to salary and/or research program of the awardee.
  • Agreement that the awardee will have 75% effort protected for research during the award years.​
• Specific Aims page of the supporting K08, K23, AHRQ K08, K01 (must be an MD), K99, R00, A0 or A1 application.
• Summary Statement from the review of the supporting NIH funded Career Development Awards in the K08 and K23 categories, AHRQ-funded Career Development Awards in K08 and K01 categories, PhD scientists in the K99 and R00 categories, within the 2-calendar years of this Request for Application (RFA), dated January 1, 2023, or later. The most recent summary is a requirement. If you have submitted a revision and have not received the summary, then you are not eligible to apply.
• Commitment from the applicant to provide SPR with requested updates on the outcome of the revised K08, K23, AHRQ K08, K01, K99, R00, A0 or A1 application submitted by the applicant after receipt of this award.

Final Round Application

Based on Main Round review, in late-Jan/early-Feb finalists will be chosen to submit a full package which should include the entire application of applicant’s most recently revised K-Award and:

• Cover letter describing the applicant’s current position and how the support will be used for the next 1-2 years.
• K-Award Application – please provide the entire application of your most recently revised K-Award, including the introduction section with the applicant’s response to reviewers. It should be the newest version with a response to the criticism raised during the review process.
• Specific plans – please provide a 1-2 page document describing how the applicant plans to respond to the criticisms and revise the K-award application.

Awardee is expected to attend the PAS 2026 meeting.

The Society for Pediatric Research recognizes new members who have contributed to high quality scientific research and who continue to demonstrate meaningful contributions in the pediatric academic field.  Awardee will be recognized during an SPR session at PAS.

Deadline for Submission – March 1

SPR aims to create a multi-disciplinary network of diverse researchers to improve child health.

This award was established by the SPR Council in 2017 and provides funds for registration to the PAS Meeting for talented child health researchers who comes from an underrepresented background (as defined by NIH) or other life experiences that increase diversity. One award per regional society of the SPR. SPR Regional Society Leadership may nominate eligible candidates from their regional society by sending a brief description of the awardee and her/his associated science. Required information:

• Awardee’s Name.
• Awardee’s Email.
• Name of the award the awardee was chosen for in your society.
• Brief description of the awardee and his/her associated science.
• Photo of the awardee.
• Under-represented designation (refer to NIH description for categories).

Submission Timeline: August 15 – September 30

The prestigious Young Investigator Award was established by SPR in 1983 to honor the early achievements of scientists and physician-scientists engaged in discovery-based research for diseases that affect children. The award recognizes a rising star with outstanding scientific research accomplishments that help to unravel the mysteries of childhood development or disease.

 Eligibility       

• Must have completed no more than 7 years post-training at the time of the upcoming PAS Meeting (residency, post-doctoral or research fellowship).
• Nominators of candidates who have completed more than 7 years of post-training due to an interruption in research careers may request that committee waive stipulation
• Must not hold rank higher than Assistant Professor or equivalent.
• Individuals with MD and/or PhD are encouraged to apply.
• Research work must have been conducted after graduation from medical school or completion of PhD.
• Nominations must be made by a member of at least one of the Societies or Alliances that comprise the Pediatric Academic Societies.
• Recipient must be able to attend the PAS Meeting.

Nomination Requirements

• Curriculum Vitae of Nominee
• Manuscript of Research Work
  • Description of research work, the basis for the nomination.
  • Present in form of preprint or reprint of manuscripts representing fundamental research.
  • Maximum of 3 key papers reflecting research accomplished during post-training period.
• Nominator’s Letter of Support
  • Must include detailed explanation of applicant’s role in research submitted.
  • Succinct and limited to 2 pages.
• Senior Investigator Letter of Support (if other than Nominator)
  • Should be from an investigator from the laboratory where nominee carried out research submitted.
  • Include dates, department, and location of research conducted there.
• Three to five (3-5) additional Letters of Support
  • Letters should be from established investigators in the nominee’s field.
  • Authors should clearly state how their viewpoints provide additional insight that is different from the nominator and senior investigator.
  • Provide critical evaluation of research work submitted for award.
  • Nominator should screen letters.
  • Limit to 2 pages for each letter.

Selection       

• The Committee for the Young Investigator Award will be solely responsible for recipient selection.
• Members of the selection committee cannot nominate or support any nominations.
• Awards will only be chosen when there are eligible candidates.

Award

• Award recognition at the PAS Meeting.
• The award will be presented to one individual annually.
• Economy-level travel expenses, hotel accommodations for up to 4 nights and PAS meeting registration will be provided.
• The awardee will receive an honorarium after the PAS Meeting.

This exchange program is an opportunity for the SPR to enhance its relationship with the European Society for Pediatric Research (ESPR) by fostering collaboration and providing educational exchange between the organizations. This program offers the opportunity for one ESPR young investigator to present his/her research at the annual Pediatric Academic (PAS) Meeting.  The candidate is selected by the ESPR to attend the PAS Meeting where he/she will be acknowledged for his/her accomplishment which includes receiving an award and presenting research to leaders within pediatric academics. In exchange, SPR will select one of its Fellow Research Awardees to attend the annual ESPR Meeting.

This exchange program is an opportunity for the SPR to enhance its relationship with the Japan Pediatric Society (JPS) by fostering collaboration and providing educational exchange between the organizations. This program offers opportunities for JPS young investigators to present their research at the annual Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Meeting.  Each year, three young investigators are selected by the JPS to attend the PAS Meeting where they will be acknowledged for their accomplishments which includes receiving an award and presenting research to leaders within pediatric academics.

Submission Timeline – February 3 – March 3

Apply

“Thank you so much for all your help. The SPR grant writing program was the real game changer for me. It gave me insight, perspective and confidence. Your comments on my final proposal was very helpful. I can’t thank you enough.” – Quote from previous Grant Writing Participant

SPR Offers:

• Six-month interactive workshop facilitated by highly successful pediatric researcher with proven grant track record. Participants will write a complete K grant and review a peer’s K application.
• Facilitator guidance on writing each grant section combined with peer review.
• Six conference calls featuring facilitator and peer oral critique of drafts and facilitator guidance on the upcoming grant section.
• Participation limit of 5 researchers to ensure highly individual hands-on guidance.

Eligibility:

• Applicant must be an SPR Emerging to Established (E2E) Member or within 1-2 years of Active Membership.
• If the applicant is a fellow, they must provide a letter from their Chair stating that they will be continuing on at their current institution as an Instructor or Assistant Professor.
• Priority will be given to applicants who will be submitting an A0 application for an individual K award (not an institutional K award) for either the Feb 2026 or June 2026 deadlines.

 Participants Commit to:

• Submission and review of all draft grant materials by deadline.
• Active participation/engagement in the workshop. Level of participation will affect all participants, including peers in the class.
• Participation in all video call meetings.
• SPR strongly discourages inpatient service duties on teleconference days.
• Work and reside in the United States.
• Act as an active peer mentor member of the group.
• Submit a clearly outlined research project.
• Secure a committed mentor at his/her institution.

Missed calls or deadlines may result in discharge from the program.