Program to Enhance Scholarship in Residency

Below is the rubric being used to score PESR applications.

Below are examples of highly-scored budget plans from previous applications:

Budget 1

No salary support is requested. The budget is requested for: Milk samples macronutrient analysis: The cost of macronutrient analysis for DHM is standard clinical care and will be covered by existing hospital resources. For maternal milk, given the dual clinical and research relevance, the cost of macronutrient analysis ($5/sample) will be shared between this project and the hospital. We estimate that approximately 20–25% of enrolled infants (~30 infants) will receive sufficient maternal milk for analysis, with an average of 10 samples per infant. We propose to cover 50% of this cost (50% X 30 X 10 X $5 = $750) For the Olink proteomic analysis, the cost is approximately $500 per sample through the IU Proteomics Core. We plan to analyze 10 maternal milk samples – with a total cost of $5,000. [Mentor] will cover any costs beyond the scope of this proposal to support this exploratory component. 

Budget 2

I am requesting $2,500 to execute my project. The breakdown of allocation of funds is as follows:

• Professional interpreter services-$720 ($60/hr x 2 hours per session)
• Staff lunches and beverages for the lunch and learn (2) sessions-$380
• “Blues Bags” for patients as a thank you/incentive to attend sessions-$900 ($7.5/bag x 120 patients)
  • Journal & Pen ($2)
  • Herbal Tea ($1.50)
  • Stress Ball ($1)
  • Healthy Snack Bar ($1)
  • Laminated Resource Card (cost included with printing cost)
  • Bag ($2)
• Printing of educational materials-$500

TOTAL: $2,500

Below are examples of highly-scored mentorship plans from previous applications.

Mentorship Plan 1

[Mentor name] will serve as primary mentor, providing clinical oversight (lung cancer context, adjuvant definitions, cisplatin eligibility) and methodological guidance for design, covariates, and interpretation. We will meet biweekly (30 minutes, agenda circulated in advance) with 48-hour turnaround on ad-hoc questions. [Mentor] will coordinate access to a biostatistics advisor (model diagnostics, matching balance, sensitivity checks) and an oncology pharmacy liaison (shortage timelines, formulary context). Milestones: finalize analysis plan and value sets in Month 1; complete matched primary analysis (time to first platinum) and v1 tables/figures by Month 3; complete agent-specific and adjuvant analyses by Month 5; submit an abstract by Month 6; finalize manuscript and deliver an internal presentation by Month 9–12. She will review balance diagnostics (target SMD<0.10), PH assumptions, and all figures/tables; ensure IRB-exempt use of de-identified data; and provide structured, written feedback on each draft (methods, results, abstract). [Mentor] will also advise on venue selection, authorship, and dissemination, ensuring deliverables are completed within the award period.

Mentorship Plan 2

My primary mentor for this project will be [Mentor]. This plan is built upon a well-established and highly productive mentor-mentee relationship. Our prior collaboration on a project investigating the outcomes of lymphatic surgery has resulted in over six peer-reviewed publications and several national presentations within the last year, demonstrating a proven track record of success in guiding a resident-led research project from inception to high-impact dissemination. The mentorship for this project will be structured to ensure rigorous scientific oversight and to foster my continued development as a clinical investigator. The plan will proceed as follows: Formal Meetings: We will hold formal, bi-weekly meetings to review project milestones, discuss challenges, and set objectives for the subsequent two-week period. These structured meetings will ensure the project remains on schedule and that all methodological decisions are sound. Hypothesis Refinement and Study Design: [Mentor] will provide direct guidance in the initial phase of the project, helping to refine the specific hypotheses and ensure the data collection plan is robust and comprehensive. His expertise will be critical in framing the research questions to maximize their clinical significance and impact. Oversight of Data Analysis and Interpretation: As a principle investigator, [Mentor] will play a pivotal role during the analysis phase. He will guide the statistical approach and, more importantly, will challenge me to critically evaluate the results. His mentorship will focus on moving beyond simple data reporting to a sophisticated interpretation of the findings, including troubleshooting unexpected results and contextualizing our findings within the existing literature. Development of Scholarly Output: My mentor will provide direct, iterative feedback on all scholarly outputs. This includes hands-on guidance in abstract preparation for submission to national meetings and detailed mentorship throughout the manuscript writing process, from initial draft to final submission. This will ensure the dissemination of our work is of the highest quality, targeting high-impact peer-reviewed journals. This structured mentorship plan leverages [Mentor]'s experience as an NIH-funded investigator and our previously demonstrated success in collaboration. His guidance will be instrumental in ensuring the scientific rigor of this project and in furthering my training as a resident physician-scientist dedicated to a career in academic surgery.