Radformation and the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO) are excited to offer a funding opportunity to resident members of ACRO that are currently in their 2nd year or higher. The committee is acutely aware of the benefits of funding for small projects, specifically quality improvement projects. Therefore, we are excited to provide funds to support up to 4 quality improvement projects, which are traditionally difficult to fund through standard research mechanisms.
Radformation Quality Improvement Grant
Criteria for Project Proposals
Seeks to support patient care in limited-resource settings* and involves an onsite visit to a clinic to facilitate the project.
• *low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are eligible, as well as underserved areas in high-income countries (e.g. rural USA).
• If outside the USA, participant should specify a region of interest, but is not required to know where the project will be.
-If accepted, participant will receive assistance from Rayos Contra Cancer (RCC) to match their project with an LMIC clinic that is suitable for the proposal and aligns with the applicant’s interest. RCC is networked with over 600 clinics in LMICs on all continents (https://www.rayoscontracancer.org/our-impact)
• If in the USA, participant should identify the clinic they will work with, or seek help from ACRO to find a suitable U.S. rural partner.
Leverages any of Radformation’s products (https://radformation.com), including but not limited to:
• AutoContour (Automated AI Contouring)
• EZFluence (Automated 3D Planning)
• ClearCheck (Automated Plan Evaluation)
• ClearCalc (Independent Calc Software)
• RadMonteCarlo (Independent Monte Carlo)
• ChartCheck (Automated Treatment Evaluation)
• RadMachine (Automated Machine QA)
• QuickCode (Automated Billing QA) – only for US projects
Studies one or more of the following priority areas:
• Suitability for implementation - local attitudes, willingness to pay, available support, potential cost-effectiveness models based on local workflows
• Process of implementation - local clinician experience, technical considerations, barriers, successful strategies, scalable models
• Outcomes of implementation – local clinician experience, objective outcomes, subjective outcomes, cost-effectiveness models
• Testing a hypothesis related to one or more of the products
Projects will be evaluated based on their practical feasibility and their potential to promote long-term positive patient impact via improvements in the workplace environment. We are especially interested in projects that uncover fundamental insights that are necessary for implementation, inform implementation strategies, or those that demonstrate and help develop models for implementation that can be scaled globally for resource-limited settings. Projects should have a deliverable that consists of objective and/or subjective data (recordings or summaries from conversations and observations also count as data) that is based on working with one partner site.
Grant Details
ACRO and Radformation will provide up to 4 grants for quality improvement projects in radiation oncology.The deadline to apply is June 1, 2024.
Each award is $2,000. $1,500 will be appropriated towards funding the research project (including travel costs), and $500 will be awarded 3 months later in a second installment to facilitate project completion and travel to the ACRO annual meeting (The Radiation Oncology Summit).
Selection is based on the quality of the application per the above criteria. Applications will be evaluated by a multi-organization committee consisting of ACRO, Rayos Contra Cancer, and Radformation reviewers.
Award recipients will be notified by July 1, 2024
Award recipients and the limited-resource center they work with will be granted a temporary license to use the Radformation product they specify for their project.
Recipients will present their project at the ACRO Annual Meeting March 12-15, 2025 in Las Vegas, NV.
Final acceptance and disbursement of funds is subject to review by the ACRO Scholarship Committee.
Eligibility
Applicants must be members of ACRO and in good standing in their current training program.
Applicants must list a primary mentor for their project.
All submissions must include the following:
Application Form (including project proposal amd expenses), Applicant’s Curriculum Vitae (including foreign language skills if applicable or potentially applicable to the project), Program Director Acknowledgement Form, Waiver of Liability for ACRO, Radformation, and RCC, and Letter of Support from the Project Mentor/Advisor.
*Projects outside the USA can be accepted without a Letter of Support (i.e. if the applicant does not have international connections) but will require a letter of support within 1 month of acceptance in order to receive scholarship funds. • In
this scenario, RCC can help applicants find a suitable partner if their project is chosen. However, RCC will not be involved in matchmaking during the application process.
→ Apply using the form at the bottom of this page(Deadline to apply is July 31, 2024 at 11:59 pm EST)
Please contact Fraser Cobbe, ACRO Executive Director, with any questions or issues.
Description of documentation requirements below:
Project Proposal - Please provide relevant background, proposal, deliverable, hypothesis/hopes, site feasibility, success, and experience (optional). No word limit. Please emphasize clarity, succinctness, and readability. Bullet points are OK. Proposals with good writing will be evaluated more positively. Click here for what you need to include in your proposal.
Letter of Support from Project Mentor/Advisor - Please provide a letter describing the mentor's specific role and commitment for oversight and support of the project.
Letter of Support from Proposed Partner Institution - This is required at time of submission if in the USA. If international site is already known, letter of support is strongly encouraged. If international site is unknown or undecided, letter of support is not required at time of submission.
Project Expenses: Please list all anticipated expenses using this form.
Residency Program Director Acknowledgement Form: Please have your Program Director fill out this form.
Waiver of Liability Acknowledgement: The Grant Applicant agrees to waive any liability of the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO), Radformation or Rayos Contra Cancer (RCC) and hold each of the organizations and their respective directors, officers, employees, and agents, and their respective successors and permitted assigns harmless from and against any and all third party claims, actions, and causes of action, and the liabilities, losses, costs, expenses, or damages, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, relating to such third party claims, which directly or indirectly arise out of or relate to the applicants voluntary participation in this quality improvement project including any travel necessary for the completion of the project.
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