Dissemination and Implementation Science Travel Award (DISTAnce) Program

Purpose

The Dissemination and Implementation Science Travel Award (DISTAnce) program aims to achieve the following goals:

• Increase the application of implementation science in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) research
• Advance the teaching of implementation science methodology in CSD programs
• Prepare CSD researchers to have funding success for grants that incorporate implementation science
• Connect CSD researchers with implementation science researchers to advance multidisciplinary team science

The program provides two forms of support:

1. Pairing the awardee with a mentor who has experience conducting implementation science research.
2. Providing funds to support the awardee’s and mentor’s joint attendance at the AcademyHealth Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health (link provided describes previous year's conference; $2,500 each to awardee and mentor). Funds will be disbursed after the conference.

The DISTAnce program is part of ASHA's Academic & Research Mentoring (ARM) Network. The ARM Network offers programs for those who are considering, launching, and advancing academic-research careers in communication sciences and disorders (CSD). ASHA measures the impact of these programs by collecting participant outcomes data, including more detailed funding outcomes of ARM Network grant writing program participants.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must meet all the following eligibility requirements:

• Hold a research doctoral degree (e.g., PhD)
• Have a research area in communication sciences and disorders
• As a principal investigator or co-principal investigator, been awarded extramural research funding.
  • Eligible funding includes a research grant from an agency outside your university/institution such as
    • a foundation (e.g., ASHFoundation),
    • a state funding agency, or
    • a federal agency (e.g., National Institutes of Health, Institute of Education Sciences, and Department of Veterans Affairs). This includes a small research grant, fellowship, career-development award, or minority supplement.
  • The following grants are not eligible: intramural awards, ASHA's Advancing Academic Research Careers (AARC) award and Multicultural Activities Grant, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) awards, loan repayment awards, scholarships, personnel preparation grants, small business innovation research grants (e.g., SBIR), community service grants, or any proposal for which your role is co-investigator, or any role other than PI or co-PI.
• Be an ASHA member (with or without certification) 

View past participants.

Program Requirements

Each awardee and mentor must complete the following tasks:

• Register for and attend the 2024 AcademyHealth Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health (link provided describes previous year's conference; typically held mid-December in the Washington, DC region. Early-bird registration typically ends in early October; see conference webpage for exact dates).
• Meet together during the conference to discuss information learned.
• During the year after the conference, participate in remote mentoring focused on completion of the awardee’s research grant proposal that incorporates implementation science. The first step is to jointly develop a 1-year plan of milestones resulting in the proposal’s completion and submission. Mentoring frequency and format will be determined by the pair.

In addition, the awardee must complete the following tasks:

• Register for and attend AcademyHealth’s D&I Technical Assistance Workshop in the afternoon immediately following the Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health (typically, attendees must register by early November; see workshop webpage for exact deadline). Mentor attendance at the workshop is encouraged but not required.
• Within 1 month of the conference, submit to ASHA the 1-year plan of research grant proposal milestones.
• Within 1 year of the conference, complete the following tasks:
• Share, for example, through a lecture, seminar, article, or presentation, the information learned at the conference with the CSD community.
• Submit a research grant proposal that incorporates implementation science.

How to Apply

To apply, access the online application system during the application period, which opens in April. Complete the online form, upload all of the following materials, and submit the entire application by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, Saturday, June 1, 2024.

Page limits do not include references. Pages should be 12-point font and single-spaced with one-inch margins. All application materials must be uploaded as PDFs.

1. Personal Narrative (limit 2 pages) that addresses the following:
• What the applicant hopes to gain from the program.
• How the applicant plans to apply implementation science to their program of research.
• The applicant’s prior research and/or educational efforts intended to enhance their readiness to conduct implementation science research. Include any relevant publications and/or grant submissions that might not be on the applicant’s curriculum vitae (e.g., any that are under review or not funded).
2. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
3. Draft of the Abstract of a Research Grant Proposal (limit 1 page)
• The efficacy of the approach must be supported by controlled studies. If the approach is to remove or alter some aspect of practice, include a research-based rationale for why this change is needed.
• State the agency and mechanism to which you plan to submit the proposal within 1 year of the conference.
4. Follow-Up Plan (limit 1 page) that addresses how, within 1 year of the conference, the applicant will share (e.g., lecture, seminar, article, presentation) the information learned at the conference with members of the CSD community.

If you have any questions, please contact ASHA's Academic Affairs & Research Education team at research@asha.org.