The SIR Foundation Pilot Research Grant is at the heart of the SIR and SIR Foundation mission to promote a culture of inclusion and strengthen a culture of IR research. The Pilot Research Grant, which is designed to fund research in areas that promote the advancement of IR and patient care, is reserved for individuals who have not received major grant support—making it a great first step in pursuing further research.
Elizabeth A. Ignacio, MD, FSIR, is in the process of applying for a Pilot Research Grant to help fund her research on the IR workforce. Dr. Ignacio spoke to IR Quarterly about how the Pilot grant can be used to explore different areas of research.
Elizabeth A. Ignacio, MD, FSIR
Tell us about your research. What are you investigating?
Elizabeth A. Ignacio, MD, FSIR: I started with a simple question about the IR workforce, which, as I dug deeper, became more complicated to answer. I was inspired by my experiences practicing in Hawaii—we have a physician shortage here, and specific geographic challenges compound the deficits. I wanted to see how we could address these deficits, as well as how to define them.
Initially, I thought it would be a straightforward project: We would take a census of physicians in an area and say, “These are the IR providers we have.” Since Hawaii is geographically isolated, I didn’t expect we would have the difficulties that arise in land-locked states where providers travel between states, or practice on borders. However, an unexpected wrinkle that arose is that those who may self-identify as an IR aren’t necessarily the same people delivering IR services in an area. You may have someone fully trained in IR who, in practice, doesn’t do many IR procedures. Or perhaps a physician only does IR part time, or they sub in when an IR is on vacation. And that’s not to mention that there are a lot of general radiologists and diagnostic radiologists who are doing IR procedures, as well as non-radiologists—vascular surgeons won’t come up in the average census, and neither will dermatologists or plastic surgeons working on malformations. NP and PAs who work with IRs also wouldn’t be included. So should all those individuals who are performing IR procedures be included in a census on IR physicians?
Because we don’t want to confuse the issue, we’re seeking to define ourselves so that we can then talk about supply, demand and workforce in specific regions. Hopefully, once we have these answers, we can analyze the workforce and determine who and where the IR providers are in my state. And from there, we can investigate if the methodology we create will work in other states.
Why did you decide to apply for the Pilot Research Grant?
EI: Confronted with the almost philosophical question of “who is an IR provider?” I went to SIR, who has been investigating and expanding on this and related questions. SIR has so many champions and information resources, and as I asked these questions and spoke to other IR colleagues, I was encouraged to pursue this analysis further and apply for the support of a SIR Foundation grant.
What impact do you think the Pilot Research Grant would have on your research?
Information about SIR Foundation's grants for scientists.
EI: The grant impact would be twofold. The first is, obviously, the funding. I had anticipated that this project could be done by myself and a medical student, but as it has grown, I’ve realized that funding would be crucial for things like accessing claims databases, hiring researchers and paying for the extension and expansion of multiple statistical analyses that will be necessary.
Secondly—and in some ways, more importantly—just the act of receiving a grant reflects interest and support. Whether you’re being granted $5 or $5 million, receiving a grant injects forward momentum and positivity, indicates an organization support for an initiative and opens up more resources and community awareness to your work.
What has your experience been like in applying for the grant?
EI: I have done small grants before and done clinical research, but I’ve never worked on something like this claims database analysis. Usually we, in IR, are searching out answers for science—which is the best embolization particle, or which is the more efficacious drug. Researching things like our workforce or economics isn’t necessarily built into our training, even if they’re questions that we are constantly talking about amongst ourselves in our practices.
Questions and ideas come up every day in conversation with other physicians, and you can see concepts for investigation either blossom or wither on the vine. Luckily, I have had a lot of access to thought leaders in SIR, ACR, and AMA, who encouraged this particular idea to blossom. The grant application has been a learning experience, certainly, because I have a big and expansive idea that I must carve down into something definable, achievable and impactful. SIR and SIR Foundation staff, as well as experienced researchers like Laura Findeiss, MD, FSIR, and Raymond Liu, MD, FSIR, have really helped me fashion this analysis. It’s been a positive and worthwhile experience, and I learn something new every day about refining the questions.
What advice would you give to other IRs either considering apply for the Pilot Research Grant or pursuing an idea for investigation further?
EI: You have to persevere and stay focused in the conversation. Sometimes it’s tedious as questions are circled over and over, but stay, read, grow and search for answers. Slowly, you’ll see your research come to life as you realize you’re asking questions that actually can be answered. Don’t give up. You will find that the support and resources are there, especially within SIR, and you will find mentors and thoughtful collaborators to help you build an investigation and watch your research come to life.
Learn more about the Pilot Research Grant and how to apply at sirfoundation.org/get-funded/grants/pilot-grant
