The goal of the SRG program is to support research for PAs who otherwise do not have access to institutional resources (e.g., time free from teaching or clinical practice, access to graduate student support, internal funding mechanisms, grant writing resources), and to help establish a record of external funding. The SRG is especially intended to provide seed funding to help individuals build their research portfolio and successfully apply for larger grants.

The 2025 AAPA Small Research Grants application is open now and runs until July 27.

If you have any questions, please reach out to [email protected] and include “Small Research Grant” in the subject line. You should have a response within two business days. You can learn more about the program and what an application entails by downloading the 2025 AAPA Small Research Grants guidelines.

AAPA is providing a pilot project to establish a Research Scholars program (Scholars), which will fund two researchers in 2023. Each Scholar will receive $6,000 and complementary registration to AAPA 2024 to present their work. Each Scholar will produce high quality research under the guidance of AAPA and focus on projects that support the removal of barriers to PA practice which can’t be accomplished by AAPA due to resource limitations. These projects may be identified by the Scholar, or the Scholar may develop their topic from a list provided by AAPA.

Each Scholar will provide AAPA a minimum of 60 hours of their time over three months to determine their project, conduct analyses, and write up findings. AAPA will provide analytical support as well as guidance on the research, policy, and communications implications.

The outcomes of the Scholars’ research will be included in but not limited to conference presentations, recorded CME webinars, peer reviewed publications, News Central articles, white papers, and/or talking points.

The 2023 Research Scholars Program application is now closed. We expect notifications to be sent out by the beginning of September.
If you have any questions, please reach out to [email protected] and include “Scholar” in the subject line. You should have a response within two business days. You can learn more about the program and what an application entails by downloading the 2023 AAPA Research Scholars Program guidelines.

For the pilot year, Research Scholars will investigate PAs’ role in increasing patients’ access to care.

• Geography: How are PAs increasing access to care in medically underserved areas such as rural areas and/or areas with clinician shortages?
• Resources: How are PAs impacting the distance patients travel for health care?
• Specialization: How is PAs’ inability to provide specialist services negatively affecting patients?
• Wait time: How do PAs get patients the services they need in a timely manner? (Specialist, family medicine, need for consults, etc.)

Coming September 2024

AAPA has awarded $63,030 to five researchers as part of the Small Research Grant. Congratulations to:

Cynthia Griffith, MPAS,PA-C, of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center who received $35,252 for the project “Comparison of Cutaneous Surgical Outcomes after Cancer Treatment of Dermatology Physician Associates and Dermatologists.”

Virginia Valentin, DrPH, PA-C, of University of Kentucky who received $27,778 for the project “An analytic approach to examining the relationship between state scope of practice reforms and PA labor demand.”

AAPA has awarded $101,000 to five researchers as part of the Small Research Grant. Congratulations to:

Robert McKenna, DMSc, MPH, PA-C, of Marshall B. Ketchum University, School of Physician Assistant Studies who received $30, 898 for the project “Comparison of Outpatient Procedures Performed by Primary Care Physicians, Physician Associates, and Nurse Practitioners.”

Chris Roman, DMS, PA-C, of Butler University who received $6,604 for the project “PA Access to Provider Health Programs and Safe Haven Non-Reporting.”

Christa Cooper, PA-C, MPH, PHD, of Rush University Medical Center who received $23,113 for the project “The Value of Physician Assistants in a Movement Disorder Clinic.”

Skylar Stewart-Clark, PhD, PA-C, of Oregon Health & Science University PA Program who received $22,000 for the project “Towards PA and NP Workforce Optimization in Federally Funded Rural Facilities: An Analysis of Oregon Critical Access Hospitals and Indian/Tribal Clinics.”

Victoria Beloy, DMSc, PA-C, of Intermountain Healthcare (Peaks Region) formerly Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth who received $18,772 for the project “The Value of Competency-based Onboarding in Increasing PA Utilization in a Non-Academic Healthcare Setting.”

AAPA has awarded $37,000 to three researchers as part of the Small Research Grant pilot. Congratulations to:

Cynthia Griffith, MPAS, PA-C, of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center who received $9,000 for “Patient Satisfaction: A Comparison of Dermatology Physician Assistants, Dermatologists, and Resident Physicians in Outpatient Academic Medical Center.”

Thank you, PA Griffith, for providing an infographic with your findings. This research team analyzed data from over 12,000 patients and the results show that patients are equally satisfied with Dermatology PAs as they are with Dermatologists. Both groups scored higher than residents. 

Read the results of this study: “Patient satisfaction with dermatologists, resident physicians, and physician assistants: a multi-year cross-sectional study in an academic medical center.”

Melissa Rodriguez, DMSc, PA-C, of AdventHealth who received $8,000 for “Role Delineation and Team Participation of Physician Assistant/Associates in Obstetrics and Gynecology.”

Gerald Kayingo, PhD, MBA, PA-C, of University of Maryland, Baltimore who received $20,000 for “COVID-19 and Job Posting Trends Among U.S. PAs. The ValuePac Study.”