Student Award Program

Student Award Program is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation. This program supports doctoral and medical students conducting health and medical care research at accredited Michigan universities.

Foundation Grants: Student Award Program | BCBSM The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation Student Award Program supports medical and doctoral students in Michigan who aim to improve healthcare within the state. Past successful programs have included applied research, pilot programs, demonstrations and evaluation projects. The award offers up to $3,000 for research projects.

If multiple students are working on the same project, they will divide the grant award amount equally. We welcome applications from doctoral students in good academic standing who are either U.S. residents, Resident Aliens, or Holders of Student Visa enrolled at any of Michigan’s accredited universities.

Projects for Student Award grants are ineligible if: The project already has results (e.g., completed dissertation, poster presentation(s), publication(s) distributing established results) The student (grant applicant) has previously received this award The student is a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan employee or an immediate family member of an employee.

Students who are employees of any BCBSM affiliate or who are immediate family members also are ineligible The proposed project is a drug trial The proposed project takes place outside of Michigan The proposed project includes any research involving non-human subjects We review potential projects for their ability to achieve real outcomes. Successful projects will show a direct impact on health and/or healthcare.

The application process is comprehensive, so it helps to understand what's involved at the outset of applying.

Here is what you will be expected to deliver: Completed application form Project Proposal (1,000 to 3,000 words, double-spaced) outlining: How health outcomes and non-medical drivers of health are addressed How this work is valuable to the population, increases the quality of care, and improves access to healthcare Note: citations are not included in the word limit (use any format, e.g., AMA, APA, MLA, etc.) Letter of support from advisor Detailed line-item budget and justification for each line item (not included in the word limit) Funds requested, anticipated or provided by other sources for the same or similar project must be described in detail on an attached sheet and referenced in a cover letter.

Budget for the Student Award Program can include hourly wage/stipend for the student, other research assistants, study participant compensation, software directly related to the project, and other costs directly related to accomplishing the submitted research project. The Foundation doesn't pay for indirect costs except for limited fringe benefits, including health, personal and/or medical benefits.

The allowable fringe benefit expense may not exceed the lesser of 25 percent of the salary subtotal figure or the actual cost of the fringe benefits. The Foundation doesn't pay for tuition expenses or continuing education units for the student or other staff.

This funding program doesn't support the following: computer hardware; one-time use consumables, such as medical (e.g., medications, bandages), and office supplies (e.g., printing paper, writing instruments); furnishings and capital expenses, such as phone, rent and building insurance. Conference travel is limited to $1,000.

If your application is awarded and you are using human subjects or otherwise protected data, a copy of Human Subjects Review Committee approval is needed before we start your award The application period opens on September 15 and closes on November 30 of each year.

Central Michigan University Isabella County; Mid-Michigan Conducts a statewide needs‑assessment survey of student‑run free clinics to identify key medical, social, and structural barriers, generating actionable data to enhance healthcare access Investigates clinicians’ perceived barriers and facilitators to pain assessment and treatment in patients with intellectual disability, aiming to promote standardized, patient‑focused pain‑management pathways Oakland County; Southeast Michigan Examines how nurse caring behaviors, missed nursing care and nurse well‑being interrelate within virtual nursing models, providing evidence to guide supportive policies and practice redesign Michigan State University Ingham County; Mid-Michigan College of Human Medicine Quantifies the independent and combined effects of maternal cardiovascular health components on preterm birth risk to pinpoint modifiable pathways for improved pregnancy outcomes College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Creates a real-time toxic-stress reactivity tracking system and predictive risk model to guide early, targeted interventions that prevent progression to poor mental health Houghton County; Upper Peninsula Applies causal‑inference techniques to imaging to isolate biomechanical determinants of hip fracture risk and generate individualized, actionable risk‑reduction estimates College of Sciences and Arts Develops and validates a GLUT5-targeted PET tracer to enhance early detection of breast cancers with low glucose uptake, improving diagnostic sensitivity Washtenaw County; Southeast Michigan Develops a data‑driven framework to select optimal recipients for marginal kidney transplants, comparing outcomes such as wait‑time, transplant rates, and five‑year graft survival Uses mixed‑methods research to capture breast cancer survivors’ and providers’ perspectives on medication management, creating a patient‑centered survivorship care plan to improve post‑treatment medication use Investigates a radiation‑sensitizing target and biomarker in oral cancer, aiming to reduce required radiation doses and improve patient quality of life Uses mixed‑methods to uncover disability‑related barriers throughout acute trauma care, producing a framework and recommendations for disability‑inclusive trauma protocols in Michigan Examines how private‑equity ownership of fertility clinics influences IVF processes and outcomes, with primary focus on changes in singleton live‑birth rates Identifies early, non‑invasive predictors of progression and attrition among living liver donor candidates to streamline selection and improve transplant outcomes Analyzes patterns in delayed time to treatment for head and neck cancer patients across clinical and patient demographics within Michigan and the overall impact on oncologic outcomes To estimate fracture risk following different osteoporosis treatment strategies while accounting for changes across menopausal transition Develops an integrated modeling approach that combines incomplete data from multiple Michigan surveillance systems to produce more accurate estimates of influenza infection burden Wayne County; Southeast Michigan College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Validates a novel associative‑learning task for older adults, demonstrating its sensitivity to subtle cognitive changes and potential as a low‑cost early‑detection tool for dementia risk College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Explores how childhood adversity and alexithymia predict psychosocial and functional recovery after moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury, identifying high-risk patients for targeted rehabilitation Western Michigan University Kalamazoo County; Western Michigan College of Arts and Sciences Tests a culturally responsive, process‑based ACT protocol tailored to perinatal participants’ most impairing psychological‑flexibility processes, aiming to reduce depression and anxiety during pregnancy and postpartum Central Michigan University Isabella County; Mid-Michigan Erin Mattson, Karen Nguyen, Megan O’Mara, Elsa Varughese Improving healthcare by conducting health needs assessments Eastern Michigan University Washtenaw County; Southeast Michigan Research the association of parent-child behavioral and physiological synchrony with children’s emotion regulation, especially in families with high-level family-related risk factors Investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a new treatment for psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) of the trauma subtype Michigan State University Ingham County; Mid-Michigan Kent County; West Michigan College of Human Medicine Allison Cropsey, Teya Marben Gain insight into the factors that contribute to maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality in expectant mothers with Infectious Endocarditis and opioid use disorder Explore perceptions of how stressors contribute to eating pathology Evaluate mechanisms that drive the heterogenous cognitive decline seen in perimenopausal individuals Explore how intimate partner violence contributes to dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in youth and how positive parenting may buffer these effects Houghton County; Upper Peninsula Explore the concept of digital twins for a more accurate estimation of the risk of stroke in atrial fibrillation patients Exploring the influence of Micro(nano)plastics on host-microbiome physiology in the human digestive system Washtenaw County; Southeast Michigan Department of Clinical Pharmacy Identify and quantify the barriers and facilitators affecting oral anti-cancer agent self-management among individuals with cancer Explore how patterns in reward-driven eating behaviors and their interaction with sociodemographic and diagnostic factors predict the effectiveness of anti-obesity medications Develop a Chat-GPT assisted chatbot to enhance clinicians' knowledge, skills, and confidence in managing obesity through low carbohydrate diets Evaluate the implementation of the Abdominal Hernia Care Pathway (AHCP) Investigate internal facilitators for healing among survivors of violence Research focuses the effectiveness on dual eligible special needs Medicare Advantage plans Wayne County; Southeast Michigan Provide validity to the Addictions Neuroclinical Assessment (ANA), a critical framework for understanding the neurobiology of substance use Develop and validate a Spanish-language assessment tool to identify cognitive and psychological predictors of vulnerability to financial exploitation among older adults Western Michigan University Kalamazoo County; Western Michigan By integrating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with social support, this study aims to provide a comprehensive intervention that reduces parental distress and improves overall quality of life Identify themes in how patients with Opioid Use Disorder in the emergency department perceive Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Isabella County; Mid-Michigan Research that examines the Impact of Brief Self-Compassion Training on Stress, Empathy and Emotional Intelligence of First Year Medical Students Research that examines the prevalence of mental health disorders and their effects on pregnant patients with intellectual disabilities Washtenaw County; Southeast Michigan College of Arts and Sciences Research that examines barriers and facilitators to family-based treatment for anorexia nervosa Research that examines barriers to seeking and completing social anxiety disorder treatment Kent County; West Michigan College of Human Medicine Research to examine polypharmacy management, medication adherence, and patient education through the development of an AI-assisted smartphone application College of Human Medicine Research to examine lived experiences of birth doulas of color Research to examine the impact of social determinants of health on mental health outcomes among family caregivers in rural areas Houghton; Upper Peninsula Michigan This research will examine AI-based tools to mitigate the disparities in access to healthcare resources in rural areas College of Sciences and Arts This research will examine integrating continuous and ordinal phenotypes with genotypic information Oakland County; Southeast Michigan Research that examines factors influencing Chaldean adults’ intention to seek mental health services Washtenaw; Southeast Michigan Research that examines perspectives on life expectancy in cancer screening decisions Research that examines training methods for Family Medicine physicians during Graduate Medical Education Research that examines sexual and reproductive health chatbot interest among Arab American Muslim Women in Dearborn, Michigan Research that examines physical and psychological well-being among youth in child welfare settings Research that examines healthcare accessibility for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing Research that examines symptom management use of unplanned healthcare services in patients taking oral anticancer agents Wayne County; Southeast Michigan College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Research that examines the impact of parental divorce on the use of preventive care in childhood Research that examines brain-based education and stress reduction psychotherapeutic intervention Research that examines black family surrogates use in the intensive care unit Kalamazoo County; West Michigan College of Education and Human Development Addressing Health Disparities by Examining Black Adolescent’s Biopsychosocial Reactions to Racial Trauma Central Michigan University Isabella County; Mid-Michigan Identify the challenges pregnant people with intellectual and developmental disabilities face in obtaining healthcare Identify the challenges pregnant people with intellectual and developmental disabilities face in obtaining healthcare Eastern Michigan University Washtenaw County; Southeast Michigan College of Arts and Sciences Evaluate the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of a revised perinatal Dialectical Behavioral Group Therapy College of Arts and Sciences Explores neuroimaging while resting as a neural (brain) correlate of executive functioning development Michigan School of Psychology Oakland County; Southeast Michigan Investigate how a woman’s spirituality, religious practice, and psychological coping contribute to post-pregnancy quality of life and psychological adjustment Michigan State University Ingham County; Mid-Michigan Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology Develop an evidence-based approach to incorporate opioid, vaping, and marijuana misuse topics in high school Understanding the relationships between family resilience, adolescents’ intrapersonal resilience, and adolescents’ experiencing suicidal ideations College of Social Science Improve autism intervention services for underserved families by understanding the factors influencing active parent engagement in intervention sessions College of Human Medicine Assess African American mental health literacy to decrease mental health disorder stigma and enhance help-seeking efficacy Michigan Technological University Houghton; Upper Peninsula Michigan Seyedehfatemeh Razaviamri Design self-activating antimicrobial hemostatic nanoparticles to satisfy all the criteria for an effective hemostatic material Seyedmostafa Rezaeitaleshmahalleh Develop a machine learning tool to investigate how the intraluminal thrombus structure may correlate to abdominal aortic aneurysm growth Washtenaw; Southeast Michigan Investigate the under-diagnosis of heart failure in females with cardiovascular disease Aid health systems redesign care practices to overcome biased heuristics and produce equitable outcomes Identify critical themes that leverage support from family and friends during patients’ consideration of bariatric surgery Determine cesarean delivery's maternal/infant benefit for birthing persons with these hypertensive disorders Wayne County; Southeast Michigan Promote the well-being of urban Black and African American emerging adults College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Investigate the relationship between hypoxic-ischemic risk and motor functioning Understand how art activities can assuage the biomedicalization of dementia Please check the FAQs in our help section.

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