Requirements

• Applicant must be a current IPSIS member.
  
• Applicant must be committed to seeing the project through to publication in Interventional Pain Medicine within a reasonable time frame and agree to include their research mentor as an author on the final publication. Article processing charges will be covered by the Spine Intervention Society for manuscripts accepted for publication in Interventional Pain Medicine.
  
• Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval is mandatory when the study involves human subjects. If the application is accepted, the assigned research mentor will assist the new investigator in navigating the IRB application process. IPSIS has established a small fund to assist with covering the costs, if needed, of the private IRB application process for a limited number of studies each year.
  
• Aside from potential financial assistance with the IRB application, IPSIS does not provide additional funding for these research projects. If interested in pursuing an IPSIS Research Grant, please visit the IPSIS Research Funding page.

When you are ready to embark on a research project under the guidance of a mentor complete this short application and upload, where prompted on the survey, a copy of your CV. Additionally, all applicants must complete the IPSIS Financial Disclosure.

About the Class

The Research Mentorship Class has been established to provide IPSIS members interested in embarking on research with an opportunity for direct mentorship on a team project to see a study through from conception to publication. Through a multisite research project involving 3-4 participants and 1-2 faculty mentors, the class will foster interest in research, encourage development of skills to enable participants to complete their own research studies independently, and promote publication of research findings to continue to build the evidence base. It is anticipated that a 2-hour evening class will be convened monthly via Zoom calls, with dates and times to be determined based on participant availability.

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Faculty

Patricia Zheng, MD
W. Evan Rivers, DO

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Study Topic

To Be Determined

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Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the class, participants will be able to:

• Construct and apply a literature search strategy to identify pertinent evidence related to the study topic
• Identify types of studies and evaluate the strengths and limitations of each study design
• Describe the most common outcome measures used in assessing the effectiveness of interventional pain procedures
• Calculate an appropriate sample size for a study
• List strategies to minimize loss to follow-up
• Design a research study
• Explain the importance of patient protections in research
• Define the steps involved in obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval
• Describe and calculate basic statistics
• Construct and submit a research abstract
• Design a research poster presentation
• Practice skills for a podium presentation
• Compose and submit a manuscript for publication

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Class Outline

• July – December 2023:
  
  • Introduction to Study Design/Methodology
  • Importance of Understanding the Current Evidence Base
  • Navigating Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval
    

• January – December 2024:
  • Subject Recruitment and Enrollment
  • Data Collection
  • Optional: Independent Research Projects

• January – June 2025:
  • Data Transfer
  • Data Analysis
  • IPSIS Research Abstract Submission
  • Manuscript Development
  • Submission to Interventional Pain Medicine

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Requirements

• Applicant must be a current U.S.-based IPSIS member (excluding medical students), or if not yet a member, the applicant must join IPSIS prior to the first class. IPSIS membership is free to in-training members and significantly discounted for individuals in their first or second year of practice ($95, $295 respectively). This initial class opportunity is restricted to U.S. participants to facilitate obtaining IRB approval for this inaugural offering. It is anticipated that future classes will be open to international participants.
• Applicant must agree to commit 1-2 hours per week to prepare for, attend, and participate in all class sessions and work with faculty and other class members to complete the study and submit a manuscript for publication in Interventional Pain Medicine. Article processing charges will be covered by the Spine Intervention Society for manuscripts accepted for publication in Interventional Pain Medicine
• If selected for the class, participants will be expected to complete the IPSIS Evidence-Based Medicine Training Program (available free) by July 15th. Preference will be given to physicians who have successfully completed the course prior to application.
• Preference will be given to physicians without access to research mentorship within their facility.
  

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To Apply

Complete this short application and upload, where prompted on the survey, a copy of your CV, personal statement of interest, and letter from your Program Director (for in-training applicants only) acknowledging support for the 1-2 hour/week time commitment. Additionally, all applicants must complete the IPSIS Financial Disclosure. Application Period Closed May 31, 2023.

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Continuing Medical Education (CME)

The Spine Intervention Society is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Spine Intervention Society designates this other activity for a maximum of 18.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Contact: Research@IPSISmed.org