Services and Supports
CERS can link you with collaborators or mentors for educational scholarship projects, provide faculty development for research and scholarship skills, assist with COMIRB submissions for education studies, provide limited funding​, help you locate relevant extramural funding for education scholarship, and provide some support for writing grants.
To learn more about these services and supports, complete a Request for Help form. ​
Research Mentoring
CERS can provide mentoring for planning an educational research or scholarship project, writing a protocol, submitting for approval by COMIRB, writing a grant proposal, and many aspects of implementing a project. You can request a mentor by completing the form “Requesting Help.”
Current mentors for educational research and scholarship include:
Dan Nicklas, MD
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics - General Pediatrics
Interim Co-Director, Center for Education Research and Scholarship
Director of Primary Care Education, Pediatric Residency
Medical Director for the Pediatric Call Center, Children's Hospital Colorado
EPAC (Education in Pediatrics Across the Continuum) Preceptor
Dr. Nicklas can offer mentoring in the following areas:
- Curriculum development and implementation
- Publishing in MedEdPortal
- Online Education
- Strategies for assessment and evaluation (meaningful outcomes)
- Right Care (reflection about the practice of medicine)
- Primary care education
Meghan Treitz, MD
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics – General Pediatrics
Interim Co-Director, Center for Education Research and Scholarship
Director of the Pediatric Resident Advocacy Rotation
Assistant Clerkship Director for Infant, Child and Adolescent Care (Pediatric Clerkship)
EPAC (Education in Pediatrics Across the Continuum) Preceptor
Dr. Treitz can offer mentoring in the following areas:
- Curriculum development, including curriculum design, implementation, assessment and evaluation
- Reflective practices, including reflective writing
- Digital storytelling
- Technology in medical education
- e-learning and online education
- Advocacy education
- Active teaching/learning strategies
- Faculty development
Megan Curran, MD
Visiting Associate Professor, Pediatrics-Rheumatology
Director, Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship
Participates in Subspecialty Pediatric Investigators' Network (SPIN) and Council on Pediatric Subspecialties (COPS)
Dr. Curran can offer mentoring in the following areas:
- Developing teaching materials
- Learner assessment (including Entrustable Professional Activities and Milestones)
- Referral and consultation
- Large datasets
- National collaborations
Tai Lockspeiser, MD, MHPE
Associate Professor of Pediatrics - General Pediatrics
Director of Electives, School of Medicine
Co-Director, Pediatric Residency Career Focused Experiences
Medical Director, Child Health Associate Physician Assistant Program
Dr. Lockspeiser can offer mentoring in the following areas:
- Learner assessment
- Gathering validity evidence for assessment tools
- Individual learning goals
- Basic quantitative analysis
- Basic qualitative analysis
Kim O'Hara, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics - Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Director of Education, Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Associate Program Director, Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship
Dr. O'Hara can offer mentoring in the following areas:
- Curriculum development (needs assessment, curriculum design, developing online learning modules, implementation, evaluation)
- Basics of qualitative research design (including linking with additional mentors and resources)
Tom Parker, MD
Professor of Pediatrics - Neonatology
Director, Neonatal/Perinatal Medicine Fellowship
Dr. Parker can offer mentoring in the following areas:
- Survey methods (designing a survey, finding resources for data analysis)
- Development and implementation of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs)
Adam Rosenberg, MD
Professor of Pediatrics - Neonatology
Director, Pediatric Residency Program
Dr. Rosenberg can offer mentoring in the following areas:
- Developing curriculum for residents
- Resident assessment
Barry Seltz, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics-Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Associate Program Director, Pediatric Residency Program
Dr. Seltz can offer mentoring in the following areas:
- Qualitative research methods
- Writing abstracts
- Planning workshops
Faculty Development
CERS has developed workshops on skills for doing education research and scholarship.
These workshops have been presented at the Pediatric Education Group meetings, for faculty development in the Department of Pediatrics and the Academy of Medical Educators, during our annual retreats and symposia and at national and international meetings on health professional education.
Topics have included qualitative research methods, quantitative research methods, writing grants for education scholarship, gathering validity evidence for education assessment tools, and developing curriculum.
The module on developing curriculum is available on BrightSpace (our learning management system); other modules will be developed for BrightSpace as well.
Over the next year or two, these workshops and modules will be organized as a curriculum in skills for education research and scholarship.
Funding Opportunities
Internal Funding Sources
Limited intramural funds are available to members of the Department of Pediatrics for education research and scholarship projects that have been well planned. Some extramural grant opportunities include the following:External Funding Sources
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) provides multiple grants opportunities in education and advocacy.
Academic Pediatric Association (APA) has several funding opportunities, including the APA Young Investigator Award, APA Young Investigator Award for Primary Care Strategies for the Promotion of Early Literacy and School Readiness, and the Resident Investigator Award, to name a few. Must be a member of the APA.
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) visit the “Grants and Awards” page to learn about various grant and funding opportunities.
Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) The AMEE offer several awards and has multiple grant opportunities in support of medical education research and scholarship.
Association of Pediatric Program Directors (APPD) The APPD awards monies for special projects as well as having grant opportunities for up to $10,000.
Edward J. Stemmler Medical Education Research Fund provides support for research or development of innovative assessment approaches that will enhance the evaluation of those preparing to, or continuing to, practice medicine.
IMAP/Macy Foundation Grant provides five awards each year for up to $25,000 for educational programs in medical professionalism. Grants are for a two-year period.
Macy Faculty Scholars Program provides up to $100,000 in salary support to five faculty each year in support of educational change innovation change projects.
National Institute of Health - search for “Medical Education Research”
Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards Program provides seed money for research by junior faculty at ORAU member institutions. These awards are intended to enrich the research and professional growth of young faculty and result in new funding opportunities.
Western Group on Educational Affairs (WGEA) is a regional group of the AAMC group on Educational Affairs which supports professional development of medical educators and the advancement of medical education research.
Requesting Help
If you would like to access the resources of CERS, please complete the Requesting Help form or simply email Michelle Kiger at michelle.kiger@childrenscolorado.org to set up a meeting
The form will ask you to describe your project and tell us about the planning you may have already done and what types of support you may need.