Practice makes perfect. It also makes the perfect setting for real-world research in rheumatology. Traditionally, however, rheumatologists in day-to-day private practice settings have been hampered by limited opportunities, time constraints, and competition from larger academic medical centers to conduct cutting edge research.
That could soon change. The Norman B. Gaylis, MD, Research Award for Rheumatologists in Community Practice is being relaunched to offer rheumatologists research grants from $50,000-$200,000 per year, for up to 2 years, to drive the field forward. The program stems from a generous $1 million commitment from Dr. Gaylis , a rheumatologist in private practice in Aventura, Fla., in partnership with the Rheumatology Research Foundation.
Although the award program was first met with high levels of enthusiasm when announced 2 years ago, it soon became clear that the application process was too complicated and it dissuaded many from pursuing the award. Now, however, based on what was learned along the way, now the process will be simpler and geared more toward practicing rheumatologists.
“Clinicians are very busy with their day-to-day practices,” Dr. Gaylis said. “I really want to support this kind of research for clinicians with ideas but who didn’t have the resources or the time to develop their ideas.” During his nearly 4 decades in rheumatology practice, Dr. Gaylis has performed “a lot of clinical research, including research being driven purely by my own ideas.” This award program is his way of paying it forward.
Investigator-driven initiatives
In addition to financial support, the program will help community rheumatologists with viable ideas, including clinicians with less research experience, to refine their hypothesis and methodology as appropriate. “For example, if someone submits a proposal to study the effect of diet on gout, we, as part of the application process, will help them develop the application so it meets the quality expectations of the review committee,” Dr. Gaylis said. “We want it to be their idea, uniquely, the idea of the application. We can guide them so it will be a quality application,” Dr. Gaylis said. “Then it’s up to them.”
Support from the Foundation will remain available and periodic reports will be required to ensure the research is progressing on schedule. “We don’t expect them to get this turned around in 6 months,” Dr. Gaylis said. “It could be a 2-year study … or even longer.”
“Understanding their priorities and research interests are very different from their colleagues in academia, the Foundation wants to encourage rheumatologists in a clinical setting to explore their own, independent research ideas,” said Shelley A. Malcolm, director of marketing and communication at the Rheumatology Research Foundation.
“The application process and award terms are tailored for rheumatology health professionals who may not have experience in writing grant proposals, or have time to draft applications similar to those required for NIH funding, because their priority lies in patient care and practice management,” Ms. Malcolm said. The Foundation will begin accepting proposals in March 2018 and up until the July 1, 2018 deadline.
Smart but not academic
Dr. Gaylis and the Rheumatology Research Foundation worked together to streamline the process with busy clinicians in mind.
This award is really for the rheumatologist in practice … who is not affiliated with academic institutions. They can be attached as a clinical professor, but they’re not really supported by an institution,” Dr. Gaylis said. “Effectively, this should really allow them to have the flexibility to do the research they feel needs to be done without having to go through the whole administrative process you would normally find in an academic institution.”
Recipients will not be competing with academic medical centers that have “the reputation, the manpower, and the capabilities that in general can swallow up all the research awards available.” This recognizes what the practicing clinician brings to the table without making them feel like they’re wasting their time by applying, Dr. Gaylis added.
“This is not saying that academia doesn’t have its role.” But the award program “levels the playing field.”
Keeping it real
Clinical practice “is really a real-world environment. Whether one is trying to understand the possibilities in using treatments differently, approaching patients differently, or seeing outcomes you’re seeing that are different from the standard, controlled, double-blind placebo study that is the norm in academic research,” Dr. Gaylis said.
“This is much more focused on the patient who walks into your office,” he continued. “I believe there are many, many more rheumatologists like me who could embrace this opportunity.” He added, “If I was allowed to, I would apply for it myself.”
The research award program can serve as a platform not only for making new discoveries but also taking drugs that are on the marketplace and using them in different forms or fashions in a successful way, Dr. Gaylis said. “And it doesn’t just have to be medications; it could be behavior mechanisms – understanding which patients might be more responsive to therapies, for example.”
The purpose is to initiate research, including but not limited to, health services research or outcome studies, practice supply and demand, and/or patient communications, Ms. Malcolm said. “The goal of the award is to provide independent investigators with the funding they need to pursue ideas that could lead to important breakthroughs in discovering new treatments and, one day, a cure.”
“Clinical practice is an incredible petri dish for research,” Dr. Gaylis said. “We end up losing a lot of opportunities by pigeonholing most research in academic centers. So if we can show the value and validity and identify clinicians who have the aptitude for this kind of clinical research, I think not only will this award program become more exciting, it will become more valuable.”
Maintain career-long clinical curiosity
Clinical practice is a very important point in the journey of being a rheumatologist, Dr. Gaylis said, but research shouldn’t end when you complete your fellowship. “It should continue for your whole career. One should be putting into effect the principles of investigation, the principles of observation, and the principle of generating ideas that are instilled in everyone during their education, but they get diluted as time goes on. We’re trying to prevent that.”
Rheumatologists, or rheumatology health professionals, with an idea or discovery they want to explore are encouraged to reach out to the Foundation staff with any questions or concerns at (404) 365-1373 or foundation@rheumatology.org . Foundation staff will provide assistance, including connecting applicants with a mentor to help simplify the process.
