Chicago – September 03, 2026 -- The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Research and Education Foundation (REF) has awarded $300,000 in research grants to four independent investigators for its 2026-2028 cycle, the third year of the program.
ABMS Foundation issues four $75,000 grants over two-year terms
Each recipient will receive $75,000 spread across a two-year project period, running from August 31, 2026 through August 31, 2028. The awards fund independent research into the structures, processes, and outcomes tied to physician board certification, with particular focus on continuing certification's role in patient care.
Pusic says studies aim to improve certification standards
ABMS REF Director Martin Pusic, MD, PhD, said the foundation backs investigators exploring novel studies on how board certification affects patient care, with the goal of informing improvements to certification structures and processes across specialties.
Grant recipients target emergency medicine, neurosurgery, and AI-driven clinical data
Holly Caretta-Weyer, MD, MHPE, of Stanford University School of Medicine, will study resident competency development for individualized training pathways in emergency medicine. Daniel Donoho, MD, of Children's National Hospital, leads a project tracking data reliability from graduate training through early practice in neurosurgery.
Brian Garibaldi, MD, MEHP, of Northwestern University, will develop low-touch assessments of bedside clinical skills using electronic health record data. Martin Wegman, MD, PhD, MSc, FACEP, Head of Research at the American College of Emergency Physicians, will compare millions of AI clinical information queries against ABEM assessment blueprints to identify practice-derived knowledge gaps in emergency medicine.
Foundation plans to open a new grant cycle later this year
The ABMS REF grant program is expected to continue annually, with a new request-for-proposals cycle anticipated later in 2026.