The HMSA Center for Learning Innovation Creative Pedagogy Award
Overview
The HMSA Center for Learning Innovation (CLI) is the JABSOM Office of Medical Education’s home for innovation, collaboration, and support for cutting edge work in health professions education. The CLI provides monetary and consultative support for selected medical education innovation projects within the UH JABSOM system.
Who can apply
We hope to support the projects of early to mid-career faculty, or projects in which a faculty member is mentoring a trainee or student. At least one team member must be UH JABSOM affiliated faculty, and may be “compensated” or “non-compensated” faculty. Subject matter can be from anywhere under the umbrella of medical education, including clinical medicine, basic science, psychosocial, communication, humanism, community engagement, and more.
Application and Deadline
Timeline
We will be offering up to three awards for the 2026-2027 academic year. Applications are due by Monday, February 9, 2026, 11:59 PM HST. Awards will be announced in mid-March, 2026. (Of note, for projects involving medical students, our goal is to provide sufficient time to plan accordingly for MD5 summer electives).
Please submit all submission documents to Ms. Kori-Jo Kochi (kjkochi@hawaii.edu), with a subject line beginning, “CREATIVE PEDAGOGY SUBMISSION”.
Application Components
In order to be considered, applications must include the following portions:
◦ Application Proposal Form (click link, then choose File →Download)
◦ Budget Form (click link, then choose File → Download) Please note that the 2026-2027 awards amount and subsequent years is $2,500 per winning project until further notice.
◦ (Optional but encouraged) Brief letter of support from relevant leadership, i.e. course director, residency program director, clinical site leader, who may need to facilitate or approve of the project for it to succeed.
Award Details
Selection of Awards
The selection committee will consist of volunteer faculty working in association with the CLI. Each proposal will be reviewed by multiple committee members based on standard criteria as above.
Expectations of Awardees
◦ Upon receipt of the award, awardees are required to meet at least once with the Center to consult on their project prior to the release of funds. A minimum of one additional meeting at approximately six months into the award period is expected to ensure the project is achieving its goals. Failure to engage in a work-in-progress midway meeting may result in withholding of additional funds.
◦ Awardees are entitled to additional consultations ad hoc regarding educational, technologic, and research techniques as applicable.
◦ Awardees are expected to present their work at JABSOM OME’s annual Health Professions Education Conference, an OME Medical Education Grand Rounds, and/or analogous showcase of their work.
◦ Awardees will be asked to respond to a survey sent a year following their award period to help us determine the ongoing impact of awarded projects.
◦ Awardees may be called upon to help judge future years’ award applications.
Amount and Duration of Support
The awarded funds can be used any time within the academic year of the award.
Funding may support:
▪ Software, web-based subscriptions, or technologic hardware designated in perpetuity to
grant project (see caveats below).
▪ Reusable physical materials such as props, costumes, crafts supplies, game pieces, etc
▪ Paying for a service that will be used in or will enhance the project. Example: Hiring a web developer to design an app that can be used to teach students on clerkships.
▪ Travel to collect data / resources.
▪ Dissemination activities such as conference presentations (not to exceed 50% of award).
▪ Submission fees for manuscript (not to exceed 50% of award).
Funding may not support:
▪ Continued website or software subscriptions if these require repeated payments beyond the year of the award to be sustainable (initial subscriptions are acceptable for no more than 25% of requested support funds – to be used as leverage to secure departmental/external funds). If such a subscription is only needed in the first year and may be discontinued after the initial development of the innovation, please make this clear in your application.
▪ Purchase of laptops or other equipment that will primarily be put toward personal use after the project year. Equipment that will either remain dedicated to the program or will be personally owned but continue to strongly facilitate the team’s ability to sustain the project will be considered acceptable on case-by-case basis.
▪ Salary support.
Our winners are…
These projects were chosen based on their sound design, creativity, and long-term sustainability to benefit learners in the UH JABSOM system. This award is among the first initiatives under the HMSA Center for Learning Innovation (CLI). The Office of Medical Education will provide each awarded team up to $3,000 for their medical education innovation projects.
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