ABMS Scholars Program: Applications for 2026 - 2027

Thank you for your interest in applying for a grant through the ABMS Scholars Program™. The annual grant program supports early-career physicians and researchers by advancing their research and fostering their development as health care leaders within and across the ABMS community. 

Research Priorities and Topics

Applicants can align their research submissions with the research priorities of The American Board of Medical Specialties Research and Education Foundation (ABMS REF) research priorities or with one or more of the targeted research priorities identified by co-sponsoring ABMS Member Boards.

American Board of Medical Specialties Research and Education Foundation (ABMS-REF) Research Priorities

As they pertain to either initial or continuing certification, within or across specialties: 

• Diagnostic and clinical reasoning excellence
  • AI's potential for optimization of these skills for learning and quality/performance improvement
• Adoption of competency-based medical education and innovative assessments
  • Board Certification Assessments of professionalism in training or in practice
  • Competency-based medical education impact on Longitudinal Assessment Programs
• Health care equity and diversity across the continuum of physician professional development
• Trainee and diplomate engagement in quality and safety activities, especially related to improving physician expertise and well-being
• Intersection between a physician's work, technology (e.g., electronic health records or artificial intelligence) and certification 

Targeted research priorities of the co-sponsoring ABMS Member Boards can be found here.  

Applicants are encouraged to consider the impact of their proposed research project on reducing health inequities and contributing to the development of a qualified and diversified workforce. 

Eligibility and Funding

Eligible applicants include early career physicians, junior faculty, fellows, and residents as well as individuals holding master's or doctoral degrees in public health, health services research, educational evaluation and statistics, health policy and administration, or other relevant disciplines. 

Grants of $15,000 are awarded to support research and travel expenses associated with program participation and research deliverables. The grant may be applied to an existing research project with a new scope or an original research project. 

Informational Webinar

Learn about the ABMS Scholars Program, a research, leadership, and improvement program for early career physicians, medical specialists, and research professionals. During this informational webinar on April 28, 2026 at 5:00 pm CT / 6:00 pm ET, you'll learn about the program, benefits from participating in the program and the application timeline from Greg Ogrinc, MD, MS, ABMS Senior Vice President, as well as ABMS scholar alumni. 

Register here. The webinar will be recorded and shared with all registered attendees. 

Start an Application

All applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm ET on June 22, 2026. 

Applications to the ABMS Scholars Program are completed through the Cadmium Abstract ScoreCard platform. To begin your submission, select Create Account and attest to the Cadmium privacy statement. All users need to create a new account, even if you participated in the past. Complete all required fields in the contact form. Create a new submission by entering the name of your research project. Complete each required task: 

• Applicant Demographics and Practice Information
• Research and Project Information 
• Abstract Summary, Research Background and Personal Statement
• IRB Status, Project Timelines and Budget
• Supporting Application Documentation (uploads)
• Attestation, Permission Statement, Scholar Research profiles ID and feedback

To save your progress on a task or application, complete one of the tasks, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click "Continue". You will be directed to your submission home page. Be sure to click Save Submission in the upper right hand-corner. You can return to your submission at any time. 

Review your submission. Click Submit. Applications may be edited up until the submission deadline of 11:59 pm ET on June 22, 2026. To get back into your partial submission, log in to your account and click on the title of your pending application. 

For questions regarding the application, please contact us Scholars@abms.org.