ACLP Foundation Research Professor Program

How to Apply

Launched in 2016, the ACLP Foundation Research Professor Program was developed in memory of Dr. Wayne Katon, Academy president 2012-13, his contribution to research, and to the mentoring of young researchers. It aims to bring leading researchers to the annual meeting and provide research mentorship to early career researchers. It is administered by the Academy’s Research & Evidence-Based Practice (REBP) Committee.

There are two complementary awards with separate application processes:

The overall objectives of the awards are to promote interest in consultation-liaison psychiatry research, and to support the development of emerging talent in the field. A maximum of three mentees will be selected each year.

ACLP Foundation Research Professor Award

Dr. Gail Ironson
Dr. Gail Ironson

The 2019 ACLP Foundation Research Professor Award will be presented to Dr. Gail Ironson, Professor at the University of Miami.

Dr. Ironson has over 200 publications in the field of behavioral medicine applied to HIV/AIDS, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, is past president of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research Society, and is current or past member of the editorial board of five journals. She has directed or co-directed federally funded research studies investigating psychological factors in long survival with HIV/AIDS, stress management in HIV and cancer, massage therapy and immunity, and the biological effects of trauma in underprivileged people, people with HIV, and people at risk for HIV.

Dr. Ironson also set up and runs the trauma treatment program at the University of Miami Psychological Services Center, which makes available to the community both traditional and newer approaches to treatment. Her current areas of focus include examining positive psychological factors and health (especially spirituality) and trauma. She is one of the core investigators in the nationwide Templeton Landmark study on Spirituality and Health, and has just completed another study on treating trauma in men at risk for HIV.

Early Career Researcher Mentee Award

Candidate Criteria:

  • Demonstration of current research activity
  • Willingness and ability to effectively use research mentorship
  • Optional Academy membership; no geographical limitations

Expectations of awardees:

  • Attend the entirety of the upcoming Academy annual meeting
  • Actively participate in the upcoming Academy annual meeting, including research sessions
  • Participate in face-to-face mentoring meetings with the Research Professor

Award:

  • Up to four (4) hotel nights
  • Complimentary annual meeting registration
  • US $500 stipend to offset travel costs
  • The priceless personal time and networking connection with a leading figure of the profession

L-R: Christopher Celano, MD, FACLP; Lydia Chwastiak, MD, MPH, FACLP; Gail Ironson, MD, PhD; Michael Bushey, MD, PhD; Kathleen Sheehan, MD; and Brian Anderson, MD

RECIPIENTS of the ACLP Foundation Research Professor Program Awards

2019

Research Professor:
Gail Ironson, MD, Professor, University of Miami, Florida

Research Mentees:
Brian Anderson, MD, University of California San Francisco
Michael Bushey, MD, PhD, University of Indiana
Kathleen Sheehan, MD, University Health Network – Toronto Western Hospital 
2018

Research Professor:
Mary Whooley, MD, FACP, FAHA, FACC, Professor, University of California, San Francisco

Research Mentees:
Amit Chopra, MD, FAPA, Allegheny General Hospital
Christopher Celano, MD, FACLP, Massachusetts General Hospital
Elena Ivanova, PhD, University of British Columbia
2017

Research Professor:
Lydia Chwastiak, MD, MPH, FACLP, Assistant Professor, University of Washington

Research Mentees:
Kelly Edwards Irwin, MD, MPH, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center
Eliza Park, MD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Stephanie Smith, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
2016

Research Professor:
Kurt Kroenke, MD, Professor of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine

Research Mentees:
Joseph Cerimele, MD, University of Washington School of Medicine
Hsiang Huang, MD, Cambridge Health Alliance
Mark Oldham, MD, Yale School of Medicine


HOW TO APPLY for the ACLP Foundation Research Professor Program

Research Professor:
Nominations are submitted online using the Research Professor Nomination form by April 1. The professor is selected by both the Foundation of the ACLP and the Academy’s Research Subcommittee. The professor is funded by the Foundation.

Research Mentees:
Nominations are submitted online using the Research Mentees Nomination form by June 25.

The application includes space for a statement, of no more than 750 words, of your current area of research interest. Detail how you think you would benefit from the year-long mentoring relationship and why this mentor would be a good match for you and your work/career.

Applications will be assessed by the Academy’s Research & Evidence-Based Practice (R&EBP) Committee in collaboration with the mentor. Selected candidates will be notified by August 31.