Sandy-Hassmiller Early Career Health Services Research Award

Through a generous philanthropic gift from Lew Sandy and Sue Hassmiller, IHPI is able to offer the Sandy-Hassmiller Early Career Health Services Research Award.

The 2026 application period is now open. Applications are due by 5:00 p.m., Friday, July 10, 2026. 

Apply Here

This competitive research award is designed to provide seed funding for IHPI early career faculty members to help catalyze new research or support new innovations in ongoing research.

Application Process:

• Applicants must submit a proposal through Competition Space that includes:
  
  • Written summary of the proposed project (maximum of 3 pages including citations)
    
    • An explanation of how receiving this award will help to advance your work and support you in becoming an independent researcher
    • A description of how your research addresses health equity
  • One-year project timeline: Please list the project start date as October 1 (maximum of one page)          
  • Budget and budget justification (maximum of two pages)
  • IHPI Engagement Statement 
    
    • Please include examples of how you have engaged with IHPI to date, and plans for future engagement 

Funding Details: 

• Funding of up to $10,000 is available per project.
• Funds are intended to cover direct project costs (e.g., data purchases, salary support for administrative staff, and/or research assistants/analysts) and cannot be used toward faculty effort and/or conference or manuscript fees.
• An IHPI selection committee will review proposals and notify applicants by August 31, 2026. Due to the volume of applications, the selection committee is not able to provide individual feedback to applicants who are not selected.

Faculty Eligibility and Criteria:

• IHPI early career faculty members are defined as: Assistant Professor, Research Assistant Professor, Assistant Research Scientist, Clinical Assistant Professor, Research Investigator, Clinical Instructor, and Clinical Lecturer
• Applicants from the National Clinician Scholars Program must include a letter from their department chair indicating that they will be able to conduct their proposed research at the University of Michigan
• Projects must be health services research-focused and have a defined “next step,” such as utilizing pilot project data/results to support a K-award, R01, or equivalent funding proposal 
• Projects should include a health equity component
• Per the request of the donors, applications for research projects focusing on climate and health are encouraged, but all topic areas will be considered equally