General guidance:  Proposals focused on general faculty development, academic mentorship or research that does not inform physician wellness practices will not be considered.

The proposals should include the specific aims and proposed conduct of the initiative. These funds are intended for support of impactful initiatives; salary support should not be a major portion of the proposed budget. 

A subgroup of the UC San Diego Physician Wellness Steering Committee (without conflict for the application under consideration) will review and score applications: 

• In alignment with the mission of the Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion (see end of      document)
• Rigor of evidence to be produced (appropriate use of outcome metrics) 
• Local impact on UC San Diego physician wellness culture - this includes scalability and      affordability (if successful, could be expanded across UC San Diego      Health)
• Novelty
• Feasibility and pragmatics -      some proposals may benefit from conversation with operational teams who      will be impacted or who may be working in the same focus area. 
• Dissemination plan 

SANFORD INSTITUTE FOR EMPATHY AND COMPASSION

The Institute represents an unprecedented blending of two parallel themes: employing the unyielding rigor and tools of science to establish the neurological basis for empathy in the brain to identify the mechanisms that transform compassion from biology to behavior and experimenting with and developing new ways to teach and instill empathy and compassion in clinicians currently practicing and in the teaching of future generations of health professionals.

The Institute aims to:

• Bridge those who explore the      neurobiology of empathy and compassion with educators to create curricula      aimed at enhancing and sustaining empathy and compassion in students and      physicians for both self and others.
• Develop and disseminate validated      curricula for empathy and compassion to inform medical education at UC San      Diego, across the U.S., and internationally.
• Through these efforts, mark the      Institute as an international thought leader and motivator of system      change in enhancing empathy and compassion in healthcare.
• Invent and adapt curricula for      empathy and compassion to educate others, including professionals and the      population at large.
• Pursue research and develop      curricula that advance empathy and compassion in support of social      justice, especially in the context of human healthcare.

This program is by invitation only.

Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year are now open.

About the Program

Through the Sanford Research Fellows program, the Center aims to support students, trainees, and early-career researchers with an interest in empathy and compassion research. The award provides research funding to fellows under the guidance of a faculty mentor for their basic or applied empathy and compassion-related research projects. In addition to financial support, Fellows are welcomed into the Sanford Institute community and provided with opportunities for fellowship, knowledge sharing, and professional development. Fellows and mentors are encouraged to take an active role in Institute life and to interact with the broader community engaged in research related to empathy and compassion. Fellows will present their findings at the conclusion of each award period.

Award

Fellows will receive support towards a portion of their salary/stipend and an allowance for equipment/supplies.

Eligibility

Any full-time UC San Diego graduate student or postdoctoral scholar interested in conducting research related to empathy and compassion is encouraged to apply. We welcome applications for basic and applied research projects. Applicants are required to identify a UCSD faculty mentor to develop the research project collaboratively. The program welcomes as mentor all members of the UCSD faculty, including Adjunct members whose primary affiliation is through the Salk Institute, The Scripps Research Institute, or the Sanford/Burnham/Prebys Institute.

Submission Guidelines

First-Stage Application: Letter of Intent (LOI)

Applicants will provide an overview of their proposed project within our application portal. Form fields include: 

• Project Title
• Research Question
• Relevance of project outcomes to the goals of the Sanford Institute
• Proposed Methodologies
• Target participants
• Research team members and roles

During initial review, projects will be evaluated for their relevance to the Center’s mission, methodology, and potential for scientific impact.

Applicants selected to proceed to the second stage will receive an invitation to submit a formal proposal.

Second-Stage Application: Proposal (By Invitation Only)

If invited to submit a formal proposal, applicants will receive detailed instructions via email. Form fields include:

• Research Team
• Introduction
• Specific Aims
• Background/Rationale
• Research Plan
• Project Timeline and Deliverables
• Budget with Justification
• Investigator CVs/Biosketches

Deadlines

First-stage Applications close March 28, 2025 at 5 p.m. (PST)

First-stage decisions will be provided via email on or around March 25, 2025

Second-stage Applications close April 21, 2025 at 5 p.m. (PDT)