# LEARRN: Pilot Studies Component

> **NIH NIH P2C** · BROWN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $135,289

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY 
The Pilot Studies Component identifies, supports and advances high quality, state-of-the-art proposals to 
promote awardees’ competitive applications for federally funded, priority LHS rehabilitation research. The 
specific aims of the Pilot Studies Program are to: 1) solicit, review, and fund meritorious applications essential 
for generating preliminary data to support long-term funding streams in the development and advancement of 
innovative rehabilitation practices and 2) provide early, frequent and continuous scientific and practice-driven 
mentoring and administrative oversight to pilot awardees to ensure their long-term sustainable funding. We will 
elicit and fund pilot studies from rehabilitation investigators across the country, enabling them to obtain 
preliminary data, technical skills and the guidance needed to design, evaluate and implement learning health 
systems (LHS) research projects. Selection of pilot studies for funding will emphasize projects that have high 
relevance to the LeaRRN’s theme(s) and give preference to investigators outside of the LeaRRN’s home 
institutions to broaden and deepen the network of independent researchers. The pilot grant review process will 
not only focus on the novelty and quality of the research and investigator, but also on its practical implications 
in hastening the translation of evidence into practice (i.e. significance) within the learning health system and 
the investigators’ likelihood of garnering further federal funding (i.e. sustainability). We will follow a rigorous 
stakeholder engaged process to identify questions and topics of high priority to health systems, pair the most 
promising applicants with mentors and health systems to develop proposals that target these priorities and 
solicit letters of intent. The Stakeholder engagement activities early in the project period, as well as annually 
thereafter, will deliver a list of high priority questions and topics. From this list, we will connect suitable 
researchers and learning health systems to address specific questions under a priority area and support their 
development of the pilot grant application. The LeaRRN Executive Committee will select the most meritorious 
proposals through an NIH-style, rigorous peer review. For funded pilots we will track progress through six 
month and 12 month progress reports to ensure successful launch, ensure safety and protection of human 
subjects and mediate potential challenges or pitfalls in time to redirect the project to a successful end. We will 
track all deliverables counted as presentations, publications and subsequent funding and evaluate whether the 
LHS successfully adopted or modified practice as a result of this collaboration. We have identified one pilot 
study to be funded in this first year of the award to ensure a quick and effective start to our work. Drs. Theresa 
Shireman and Linda Resnik will oversee the Pilot Studies Program. The mentored Pilot Studie...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9967237
- **Project number:** 1P2CHD101895-01
- **Recipient organization:** BROWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Theresa I. Shireman
- **Activity code:** P2C (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $135,289
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9967237

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9967237, LEARRN: Pilot Studies Component (1P2CHD101895-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9967237. Licensed CC0.

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