Background 

Catalyzed by Denny Sanford’s vision and generosity, the T. Denny Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion (TDSIEC) at University of California San Diego was founded with a generous donation in July 2019. 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.
 Our vision is a transformation of medical education in which an emphasis on skill learning and competence in empathy and compassion parallels that for scientific and technical skills.
 

Mission: 

• 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. 

Objectives: 

• To mature existing curricular plans by measuring impact and validation 
• To scale mature validated curricula to other schools of medicine 
• Create a research agenda (informed by both educators and scientists to create a novel, domain expertise informed, curriculum for empathy and compassion in medical education) 
• To sustain the operations of the Institute and its Centers by securing funding from both UC San Diego and other resources 
• To combat physician burnout through development of curricula, training and novel programs aimed at enhancing well-being 

Areas of Interest 

We welcome proposals that focus on technology-enabled empathy as well as other novel approaches. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to: 

• Human-centered research using real-time, objective empathy measures  
• Develop technology-enhanced tools (AI, VR, etc.) for clinical training 
• Cross-disciplinary approaches integrating fields like law, business, or anthropology with diverse cultural perspectives 
• Potential for scalable implementation in health systems, policy, or education 
• Measurable outcomes through clear impact metrics and empirical evidence through validated outcome measures 
• Rigorous data analysis techniques/models to predict or interpret findings (e.g., machine learning, Bayesian methods) 
• Minoritized populations (e.g., racial and ethnic minority groups, sexual and gender minorities) 

 Other innovative projects that address empathy and compassion, such as novel curricula, interdisciplinary interventions, or systems-level policy frameworks, are welcome and will be evaluated based on their creativity, feasibility, and alignment with the Institute’s mission.
 

Eligibility & Support 

• Open to UC San Diego-affiliated faculty and researchers. 
• Projects that include faculty from at least two schools or divisions at UCSD are strongly encouraged. 
• The program will grant up to two awards of $100,000 and two awards of $50,000. Actual award amounts may be reduced from the requested level and will be determined by available funding. 

Key Dates & Application Information

• Open to Applications: September 20, 2025 
• Info Session #1: October 2, 2025 (contact cchwa@health.ucsd.edu for more info)
• Info Session #2: October 23, 2025 (contact cchwa@health.ucsd.edu for more info)
• Letter of Intent Final Deadline: November 14, 2025 
• Notice of Invitation for Full Proposal: November 21, 2025 
• Full Proposal Final Deadline: December 29, 2025 
• Notice of Decision: February 20, 2026 
• Project Start Date: March 1, 2026 

No late applications or deadline extensions will be accepted. All materials must be submitted through our grant management platform, Submittable. Applications that are emailed will not be considered.
 

Application Requirements 

Stage 1: Letter of Intent (LOI) 

• Project Title 
• Short biographies of all research personnel involved 
• Brief Summary of the proposed research focus (≤500 words) 
• Estimated Budget Request 

Stage 2: Full Application (by invitation only)  
 

• Project Summary/Abstract (½ – ¾ page) 
• Project Narrative (≤250 words) 
• Specific Aims (1 page) 
• Research Strategy (≤12 pages) 

                  - Significance 

                  - Innovation 

                  - Approach 

• Future Directions 
• Itemized Budget Justification (1 page, table format optional, include hourly rates if applicable) 
• Study Timeline (1 page, table format) 
• Appendix (as needed, e.g., questionnaires or other instruments) 
• NIH Biographical Sketches 

Review Criteria 

• Significance: Address a critical need in the scientific study of empathy and compassion within health policy, healthcare, or education. It should be well-aligned with the Sanford Institute’s mission and capable of advancing this interdisciplinary field through its scope and proposed activities. 
• Investigator(s): The principal investigator(s) and key personnel must be well-qualified to lead the proposed work, with demonstrated expertise in relevant domains. Investigators should show evidence of effective coordination across academic and clinical units and, if relevant, the capacity to manage subawards, data-sharing agreements, and multi-site collaborations. 
• Innovation: Incorporate novel or refined approaches for studying empathy and compassion. This may include the application of innovative technologies, measurement tools, theoretical frameworks, or analytic methods that enhance the resolution, accuracy, or scalability of research in this area. The proposal should describe how these innovations contribute to the generation of new knowledge or significantly improve the efficiency or reach of existing approaches. 
• Approach: The overall strategy and operational plan should be logical, well-articulated, and evidence-informed. The repository or core must have a clearly defined organizational structure, with achievable milestones and a realistic timeline. 
• Alignment with Research Mission: The extent to which the proposal aligns with Sanford’s mission of: 1) 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, 2) 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. 
• Future Funding Prospects: Plan for securing additional funding sources upon conclusion of the award period. 

Contact 

Cindy Chwa, MPH (cchwa@health.ucsd.edu)
 Research Project Coordinator, Center for Research on Empathy and Compassion
 T. Denny Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion