The Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF) is a nonprofit organization founded by ACEP leaders with the goals of funding research in EM science, improving patient care, and supporting research career development.
Each year, EMF awards grants to a diverse array of applicants, from medical students to established career researchers. Areas of research range from DEI to telemedicine to resuscitative medicine.
As an initiative to mentor young physician researchers, EMF partners with EMRA to provide an EM resident or fellow with the opportunity to participate in EMF’s annual grant review process.
I was invited to join members of ACEP’s Scientific Review Subcommittee to review and critique applications EMF received for the 2024-25 grant cycle. This was an unparalleled opportunity for me to learn about the grant application review process, especially the thoughts and active discussions that precede any decisions and grant ratings.
After prospective researchers had submitted their research proposals, each application was assigned between 2 and 3 reviewers. As the EMRA representative, I was tasked with reviewing 5 applications as the secondary reviewer. This gave me the opportunity to learn from the primary reviewer while still making my opinions and discussion points. Moreover, I had the ability to review and observe the discussion of all the other applications during the meeting, adding in my comments where I saw fit.
Partaking in the EMF grant review meeting did more than sharpen my analytic and critiquing skills. It also gave me broader insight into what other researchers are pursuing and taught me how to create a successful grant application. Additionally, it put me into contact with mentors in the field of research who can help guide my own research in the future and can provide career advice.
Sophia Gorgens, MD, is an EMS fellow at the New York City Fire Department and Northwell Health in New York City. For more information about the Emergency Medicine Foundation, visit emfoundation.org.