AOA Council on Research Funding Collaboration (Click Here)

The AOA has funded research within the profession for many years. The major purpose of research programs funded by the AOA is to:

• Generate and support research that develops and promotes an understanding of the philosophy, concepts and efficacy of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM); and to
• Develop and maintain the research capacity of the profession through support and training for researchers.

Research Grants

The AOA recognizes the value of all areas of biomedical research. However, the resources and facilities of the profession are limited and direct research funding must focus on those areas of research that investigate the unique aspects of osteopathic medicine. The breadth of this research focus may include but is not limited to:

1. Mechanisms of Action of OMM/OMT
2. Clinical Efficacy of OMM/OMT
3. Inter- and Intra-rater reliability of palpatory assessment
4. Cost effectiveness of osteopathic health care
5. Osteopathic physician and patient interactions
6. Methods of teaching palpation and OMM/OMT

For a complete description of the priorities of the AOA Research Grants programs, please consult the AOA Research Handbook.  ( PDF 619K/75 pgs)

Grant applications are accepted on an annual basis and have a submission deadline of December 1; funding decisions approved by the AOA Board of Trustees at their Annual Meeting in July of the following year. The Council will recommend funding for research proposals with budgets up to $50,000 per year; investigators should not expect to be funded for more than two years on a single project.

Download and complete application forms as Word Documents according to the instructions in the AOA Research Handbook.

AOA Research Grant Application Forms	Form	Word Version	PDF Version
Administrative Data Sheet	Form A
Keyword Descriptor Form	Form B
Research Grants Application	Form C
Table of Contents	Form D
Funding Data Sheet	Form E
Resources	Form F
Personnel	Form G
Biosketch
Budget Worksheet
Budget Worksheet Continuation Page
Abstract
Project Summary	Form H
IRB Certificate of Compliance	Form I
Grant Application Checklist

Research Fellowships

The submission deadline is on January 30 of each year.

The AOA Research Fellowship program is designed to support research training for the applicant and will enable the applicant to conduct a basic science or clinical research project that will make a contribution to osteopathic medicine. The fellowship is, in effect, seed funding to encourage an osteopathic physician or physician in training to contribute to research throughout his/her career in osteopathic medicine.

The fellowship involves the completion of a project under the direction of a sponsor. Both the sponsor and the applicant accept responsibility for the conduct of the project and the reporting of the scientific results attained. A portion of the fellowship program may be conducted at an institution other than the sponsoring institution under supervision of a consultant approved by the sponsor.

The fellowship year starts August 1 and ends July 31. Awards are for $5,000 for a one-year project. The AOA awards a limited number of fellowships each year, and they are competitive grants.

Eligibility: During the fellowship year:

a) The applicant must be a postdoctoral osteopathic medical student, possessing an earned D.O. degree awarded by an AOA-accredited institution, and be enrolled in an internship, residency, or Research Fellowship; or,
b) The applicant must be an undergraduate osteopathic medical student enrolled in an AOA-accredited institution.
c) Preference will be given to applicants in category (a).
d) Individuals who have demonstrated research competency by virtue of competing successfully or major independent research grant support are not eligible.

Research fellows will file a summary progress report, a final report and will present their abstract at the annual Research Conference. For complete details on the Fellowship program, see the AOA Research Handbook. (PDF 619K/75 pgs)

AOA Research Fellowship Application Forms	Form	Word Version	PDF Version
Keyword Descriptor Forms	Form B
Research Fellowship Application	Form C
Table of Contents	Form D
Biosketch
Biosketch Sample
Abstract
Project Summary	Form H
IRB Certificate of Compliance	Form I
Fellowship Budget Worksheet Budget Continuation and Justification Page
Fellowship Application Checklist