Chicago, IL, Jan. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has announced its Request for Grant Proposals for the 2026-2028 cycle of Back to Bedside, an initiative designed to empower residents and fellows to lead and develop transformative and innovative projects to foster meaning and joy in their work by increasing connection with their patients.
In its fifth funding cycle, Back to Bedside has two financial levels available: projects up to $10,000, and projects up to $5,000. The ACGME seeks proposals for resident- and fellow-developed and -led, innovative, grassroots strategies to improve, foster, or cultivate meaning in clinical learning environments by increasing opportunities to build connections with patients and improving the physician-patient relationship. Cost-effective projects that have the potential to live beyond the grant cycle are encouraged.
Also included this year is a separate travel stipend of up to $5,000 to be used to help resident/fellow teams offset costs to attend two in-person Learning Collaboratives held during the two-year grant period. During the Learning Collaboratives, residents and fellows receive mentorship and education from the ACGME to build necessary skills for change management, project implementation, and dissemination. These sessions also provide networking and collaboration opportunities with other awardees and ACGME leaders.
Grant recipients will also present their projects at the ACGME’s Annual Educational Conference in Orlando, Florida in 2028.
Since its inception in 2018, Back to Bedside has funded 114 projects. Accepted project proposals span specialties and locations, with the goal of improving the clinical learning environment in and with lessons about enhancing the physician-patient relationship that can be widely disseminated and solutions that can be implemented broadly.
Project proposals are due by April 20, 2026.
Examples of past projects have focused on increasing the patient-physician connection by engaging patients in deeper understanding of their care through education; taking part in art projects or other activities together; reducing communication barriers; and sharing personal photos, mementos, or details that create better understanding of both the patient and the physician. View the funded projects from previous award cycles.
To submit a proposal, visit the Back to Bedside page on the ACGME website.
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ABOUT THE ACGME
The ACGME is a private, non-profit, professional organization responsible for the accreditation of more than 13,700 residency and fellowship programs and the more than 900 institutions that sponsor these programs in the US. Residency and fellowship programs educate approximately 167,100 resident and fellow physicians in 146 accredited specialties and subspecialties. The Mission of the ACGME is to improve health care and population health by assessing and enhancing the quality of resident and fellow physicians’ education through advancements in accreditation and education.