Not Verified

LEONIDAS BERRY HEALTH EQUITY RESEARCH AWARD

American College of Gastroenterology (ACG)

The ACG Institute is proud to announce that the Health Equity Research Award is named to honor the life and legacy of Leonidas H. Berry, MD, MACG. The College and the ACG Institute recognize his contributions to gastroenterology, and tireless efforts to end discrimination in medicine and medical schools.

The Leonidas Berry Health Equity Research Award supports targeted research to produce actionable science that will translate to reducing health and/or healthcare disparates, thereby promoting health equity. We invite eligible applicants to apply for a $75,000 two-year (50k for year-one and 25k for year-two, based on progress) research award, to be funded from July 1, 2027 - June 30, 2029.

All applications must be submitted online. The grant site will open to submissions on August 31, 2026, and close on Monday, December 7, 2026, at 11:59pm (Eastern time).

The goal of the Health Equity Research Award is to support promising investigators in developing research careers that have a direct bearing on clinical gastrointestinal practice by advancing our knowledge in reducing disparities in the care and outcomes of racial/ethnic minorities, women, LGBTQ+ populations, and/or those living with a disability that is not derivative of a gastrointestinal disease, within the broader context of gastrointestinal and liver diseases. For this RFA a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

This grant is designed to support patient-oriented research that is principally focused on digestive or liver diseases. The patient population or disease target should be principally related to the gastrointestinal tract, liver, biliary system, pancreas, or neuroenteric science. We are interested in funding clinical, translational, social science, or health services research studies that aim to accelerate our clinical knowledge in managing the unique GI and hepatology healthcare concerns of underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities, women, LGBTQ+ populations, and/or those living with a disability, and potential to reduce health disparities. (For questions on study relevancy, contact the grant administrator at research@gi.org.) Since its inception in 1994, the ACG Institute has provided over $37.2 Million in funding for Clinical Research Awards to over 788 recipients.

GRANT OVERVIEW A key mission of the ACG and its Institute for Clinical Research and Education is to fund innovative patient-oriented research awards. For the purposes of these awards, patient-oriented research is defined as:

1. Research conducted with human subjects

2. Research on new diagnostic and therapeutic interventions

3. Research on material of human origin, such as tissues and specimens

4. Research that is translational in nature; i.e., has direct applicability to clinical care. Note: Studies involving animals will not be considered unless the work cannot be done in humans. If you have any questions about the eligibility of your study involving animals, it is recommended you reach out to research@gi.org, prior to applying.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Direct relevance to gastroenterology or hepatology ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the fundamental requirement.

Competitive projects should address important questions in:

Gastroenterology
Hepatology
GI diseases
Digestive health
GI endoscopy
GI healthcare delivery
GI health equity
Clinical gastroenterology

ACG's awards are specifically designed to advance clinical research related to gastroenterology and hepatology.

2. Patient-oriented research with direct clinical applicability ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

For the Clinical Research Awards, ACG emphasizes innovative patient-oriented research with direct applicability to clinical care.

Strong proposals should demonstrate potential to:

Improve diagnosis
Improve treatment
Improve patient outcomes
Improve clinical decision-making
Address important clinical problems

ACG defines patient-oriented research as research involving human subjects, new diagnostic or therapeutic interventions, human specimens, or translational work with direct clinical applicability.

3. Strong scientific rationale and innovation ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Competitive proposals should have:

A clearly defined research question
Strong scientific rationale
Original hypothesis
Innovative methodology
Appropriate endpoints
Potential to generate meaningful new knowledge

ACG specifically describes its Clinical Research Awards as supporting innovative patient-oriented research.

4. Preliminary/pilot data where required ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is particularly important for the Clinical Research Award.

The current ACG program requires pilot/preliminary data for the Clinical Research Award, while the Clinical Research Pilot Award does not require pilot data. Therefore, choosing the correct grant category based on the maturity of the project is strategically important.

5. Strong investigator and career-development potential ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ACG places significant emphasis on developing investigators.

For example, the Junior Faculty Development Award provides three years of funding and 50% protected research time specifically for junior investigators developing independent careers in clinical gastroenterology or hepatology research.

Competitive applicants demonstrate:

Strong academic potential
Relevant research experience
Publications or prior research accomplishments
Clear independent research trajectory
Commitment to gastroenterology/hepatology research

6. Strong mentorship and protected research time ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mentorship is especially important for:

Fellows
Residents
Junior faculty
Medical students

For trainee awards, an appropriate ACG-member mentor is required. The Junior Faculty Development Award also provides substantial protected research time and career-development support.

7. Health equity and addressing healthcare disparities ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Leonidas Berry Health Equity Research Award specifically supports research producing actionable science that can reduce health and healthcare disparities.

Competitive projects should address issues affecting underserved or underrepresented populations, including:

Racial/ethnic minorities
Women
LGBTQ+ populations
Healthcare access
Differences in disease management
Inequities in healthcare delivery

Importantly, ACG states that simply studying a disease is insufficient for this award; the project should generate actionable and meaningful data related to health equity.

8. Strong methodology, feasibility, and appropriate study design ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Successful proposals should provide:

Clear aims
Appropriate study population
Valid methodology
Appropriate statistical analysis
Realistic timeline
Feasible recruitment/data collection
Clearly defined outcomes

Animal research is generally not appropriate for ACG Clinical Research Awards unless the research cannot be conducted in humans and has a clear translational connection to clinical care.

9. Potential for career advancement and future funding ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

ACG's career-development and bridge-funding programs are particularly focused on sustaining and advancing independent research careers.

For example, the Established Investigator Bridge Funding Award is designed to provide temporary support between federal grants and requires evidence of a recently completed federal clinical/translational GI or hepatology grant and an ongoing application for renewed federal funding.

Thus, a strong application should show how the project will:

Generate preliminary data
Support future NIH/federal funding
Establish independence
Expand an existing research program

10. ACG membership and exact eligibility fit ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a critical eligibility factor, not merely a quality factor.

For the current ACG Clinical Research Awards, the PI generally must be an ACG member in good standing at the time of application. Different awards have different requirements regarding:

Career stage
U.S./Canadian/international status
Physician vs. PhD eligibility
Fellowship/residency status
Mentorship
Prior funding

For example, the current Clinical Research Award is open to U.S., Canadian, and international ACG members, while the Medical Student and Resident awards have U.S./Canada restrictions.

Specialties

Gastroenterology

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must meet all the following criteria:

• ACG Member at time of application

• U.S. or Canadian-based physician (MD or DO)

• Faculty appointment as part of a gastroenterology or hepatology department at a university, medical school, or other healthcare institution at the time of application or attending physicians who have completed all of their training and are practicing gastroenterology or hepatology in a community practice

• Pilot Data Required (if not available, choose a different grant category: Pilot)

 The following are not eligible for this award:

• Fellows-in-training.

• Projects that support laboratory or animal research projects.

• This grant is intended to support research for those who may have limited funding. ACG will NOT grant these awards to former or current Principal Investigators who have had more than one R01, P01, U01, VA Merit Awards, or Hughes grants.

• Award overlap: ACG does not provide duplicate funding including other diversity -focused grants [If part of a larger study, must explain how funds are not duplicated].

• Applications utilizing the same science may not be submitted for two different ACG grant categories (for example the same project/science is submitted for the Health Equity Research Award and Clinical Research Award) and if this occurs they will not be evaluated by the Committee.

• ACG limits funding for a PI to one grant in a single award cycle. If a given investigator submits projects in two or more RFA categories and more than one is deemed worthy of funding, the larger grant will be funded.

• If the applicant was awarded an ACG research award within the last three (3) years, they cannot apply for the same grant category in which they were awarded. They may apply for a different grant category, as the College is not trying to limit progression of research (pilot award to CRA or JR Faculty Award), but rather the same investigators being funded repeatedly.

Eligible Countries:

Canada

United States

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: American College of Gastroenterology (ACG)

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 11333 Woodglen Drive, Suite 100, Rockville, MD 20852

Legal & Affiliation Disclaimer

Affiliation Disclaimer: Trialect operates independently and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by any sponsors or organizations posting on the GrantsBoard platform. As an independent aggregator of publicly available funding opportunities, Trialect provides equal access to information for all users without endorsing any specific funding source, content, organization, or sponsor. Trialect assumes no responsibility for the content posted by sponsors or third parties.

Subscription Disclaimer: Upon logging into Trialect, you may choose to SUBSCRIBE to GrantsBoard for timely notifications of funding opportunities and to access exclusive benefits, such as priority alerts, reminders, personalized recommendations, and additional application support. However, users are advised to contact sponsors directly for any questions and are not required to subscribe to engage with funding opportunities.

Content Ownership and Copyright Disclaimer: Trialect respects the intellectual property rights of all organizations and individuals. All content posted on GrantsBoard is provided solely for informational purposes and remains the property of the original owners. Trialect does not claim ownership of, nor does it have any proprietary interest in, content provided by third-party sponsors. Users are encouraged to verify content and ownership directly with the posting sponsor.

Fair Use Disclaimer: The information and content available on GrantsBoard are compiled from publicly accessible sources in alignment with fair use principles under U.S. copyright law. Trialect serves as an aggregator of this content, offering it to users in good faith and with the understanding that it is available for public dissemination. Any organization or individual who believes their intellectual property rights have been violated is encouraged to contact us for prompt resolution.

Third-Party Posting Responsibility Disclaimer: Trialect is a neutral platform that allows third-party sponsors to post funding opportunities for informational purposes only. Sponsors are solely responsible for ensuring that their postings comply with copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. Trialect assumes no liability for any copyright or intellectual property infringements in third-party content and will take appropriate action to address any substantiated claims.

Accuracy and Verification Disclaimer: Trialect makes no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided by sponsors. Users are advised to verify the details of any funding opportunity directly with the sponsor before taking action. Trialect cannot be held liable for any discrepancies, omissions, or inaccuracies in third-party postings.

Notice and Takedown Policy: Trialect is committed to upholding copyright law and protecting the rights of intellectual property owners. If you believe that content on GrantsBoard infringes your copyright or intellectual property rights, please contact us with detailed information about the claim. Upon receipt of a valid notice, Trialect will promptly investigate and, where appropriate, remove or disable access to the infringing content.

View Funding Opportunity