The purpose of the Ada Jacox Pain and Symptom Management Research Award is to promote research in pain and symptom management and the formulation of practice guidelines.

This announcement encourages proposals about: the study of mechanisms of pain or other symptoms (e.g., understanding biological, genetic, neurological, physiological, behavioral, psychological, and/or social factors underlying individual differences in pain/symptom experiences; understanding causal or contributory relationships between pain and conditions such as sleep disorders, functional disabilities, and depression); the measurement and assessment of pain or other symptoms (e.g., development and evaluation of measures of variability in daily pain experience in older adults to improve timing and dosing of pain treatment, assessment of pain/other symptoms in individuals with cognitive impairments); or the treatment and management of pain and other symptoms.

Amount of Award: up to $5,000

Awards may be used to fund:

• Proposal development 
• Pilot projects    
• Consultation fees
• Student assistance
• Small equipment
• Data entry
• Tape transcription
• Instrument costs     
• Postage amd mailing
• Lab costs
• Duplicating costs     
• Data collection

Faculty are invited to submit a brief proposal (no more than 3-4 pages) describing: 

• Specific Aims/Purpose: Provide overall objective or long-term goal of the proposed research and the specific aims, the research questions and/or hypotheses to be addressed 
• Significance:  Describe the importance of the problem; how scientific knowledge will be advanced; and the effect the study will have on concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services or interventions that drive the field
• Innovation: Describe how the proposed project challenges existing paradigms or how the application challenges and seeks to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation or interventions 
• Approach:  Describe methodology and analyses 
• Investigative team:  Describe the complementary and integrated expertise of investigators 
• Timeline:  Describe plans for completion of the project within one (1) year 
• Plans for seeking future external research funds:  Describe the manner in which the support would improve the recipient's opportunity for obtaining extramural funding for research and provide prospective funding agency(ies) 
• A budget and budget justification are also required. Only expenses essential to the conduct of the proposed research will be considered for funding
  • Expenses must be incurred within the one-year grant period.
  • Unexpended funds will be returned to the Ada Jacox Research Award account.
  • Prohibited expenses include principal and co-investigators' salaries, investigator traveling for presentation of papers or conference attendance, and/or purchase of personal computers
  • If costs of proposed activities exceed the amount of the award, please indicate how the remainder of the costs will be covered. Monies will be made available once validation of HIC approval has been submitted to the CHR
  • A brief progress report is due six months following the receipt of grant monies and a final project report is due within 60 days of termination of the award

Proposals will be reviewed using the following criteria.

• Is the study important to nursing science and/or practice and to the development of nursing knowledge? Does it address a gap in what we know? 
• Is the study novel or innovative in approach, perspective or line of inquiry? 
• Are study aims logical, appropriately conceptualized?  Do study design, sample, instruments, procedures and data analysis allow specific aims to be accomplished? 
• Is the study within the applicant's ability? Are consultants, co-investigators or mentors adequate? 
• Are available resources and research environment adequate to support the research?
• Strength of investigator and research team: Is the primary investigator versed in the theory and supported by co-investigators versed in study design and practice? 
• Justified budget: Are purchases explained, including the need for particular materials, software and equipment?