APIC Announces Heroes Implementation Research Scholar Award Program

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) announces the formation of the Heroes Implementation Research Scholar Award program to identify success strategies most likely to benefit other infection prevention programs.

The Heroes Implementation Research Scholar Award program is an extension of the Heroes of Infection Prevention Award  program, which was introduced in 2006 and has recognized more than 80 individuals and groups for their exceptional work in the infection prevention field.

APIC will grant up to two Heroes Implementation Research Scholar Awards of $50,000 each to support innovative research projects to:

 Identify successful strategies as exemplified within the Heroes group

 Determine potential ways to implement these findings across the infection prevention community

Proposals will be evaluated based on their potential to support professional development in one or more of the core areas or future-oriented domains of infection prevention (as identified in the APIC Competency Model for the Infection Preventionist); strength of the proposed methodology, including analysis of data obtained from previous recipients of the Heroes award; and potential for the project to demonstrate the use of implementation science to help advance the infection preventionist role.

Implementation science refers to moving scientific evidence into action that practitioners can use to protect patients at the bedside.

Today, more than 80 talented infection preventionists have been recognized as Heroes of Infection Prevention, either individually or as teams, says Michelle Farber, RN, CIC, APIC's 2012 president. As this group continues to expand, APIC seeks to learn from their success, and using the principles of implementation science, bring these innovations to a much wider audience.

Awards will be granted in 2012 with the requirement that the project be completed no later than December 2013. The deadline for project proposals is September 30, 2012.

Visit the Research Opportunities section of APICs website to access eligibility and selection criteria. Address questions to research@apic.org.

The 2012-2013 Heroes program is supported by a grant from BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company).