Accepting Applications for the 2026 Boston Marathon Medical Research Funding Program
The Boston Athletic Association Medical Research Funding Program provides an annual request for proposal for scientific researchers to conduct research at Boston Marathon on April 20, 2026. Investigators are asked to submit scientific proposals for projects that can be conducted in conjunction with the race. Proposals for field studies aimed at delineating key aspects of athlete health and performance are encouraged, as are studies inclusive of para athletes and studies that examine issues related to gender and diversity. The program will provide investigators with a one-time itemized budget of up to $25,000 to complete the proposed work. All applications received by the Sept. 7, 2025, submission deadline will be considered.
The research grant committee will judge proposals on:
- The scientific merits and impact of the proposed hypothesis on the endurance race community;
- The quality and appropriateness of the study design;
- Feasibility of execution on race day;
- The ability to secure institutional review board oversight;
- Subject recruitment, enrollment and data collection that is thoughtful and nonintrusive; and
- The investigator(s) scientific track record.
Proposals and any program questions should be emailed to medical@baa.org for review and response by the Boston Athletic Association. Information on submission requirements, judgement criteria and a timeline of the Medical Research Funding Program can be found here.
Volunteer Research Opportunity for All Fitness and Exercise Professionals
The Moving Through Cancer Task force is looking for fitness and exercise professionals to participate in a survey to help us understand how much they know about prescribing exercise for people with cancer. No experience with cancer is necessary to participate. The purpose of the study is to understand how many exercise professionals meet the competencies required to work with people undergoing active cancer treatment. This will help to establish a baseline understanding of the workforce needs to provide exercise as standard care in oncology settings. It will also help to inform targeted strategies to upskill exercise oncology professionals. Responses will be confidential, and the survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a drawing to receive one of three vouchers for the ACSM-ACS Cancer Exercise Specialist training course. All data collected within the survey are returned directly to the research team, not ACSM, via the survey platform REDCap. Data collection and sharing of results are not connected with ACSM. If you would like to participate, please follow this survey link. The study has been approved by the Edith Cowan University Ethics Committee (2023-04844-Kennedy). Please direct any questions to the principal investigator, Mary Kennedy, PhD, FACSM, via email at m.kennedy@ecu.edu.au.
NIH OITE Resilient Scientist Series Resumes Fall 2025
The National Institutes of Health and the Office of Intramural Training & Education will offer the virtual “Becoming a Resilient Scientist” and the “Raising a Resilient Scientist” series featuring five units of lectures, discussion groups and live Q&A sessions starting in September 2025.
The goal of the “Becoming a Resilient Scientist” series is to provide students and trainees resilience tools needed to study and work in high-knowledge environments. The material will help develop well-being, assertiveness and feedback skills with the goal of improved relationships in research groups and beyond. The series is helpful for trainees and fellows at all levels and for fellows who supervise others and wish to develop strong mentoring skills for the future.
The goal of the “Raising a Resilient Scientist” series is to promote the mental health and well-being of the academic research community by supporting faculty and administrators to develop self-management, relationship-management and mentoring skills. A variety of topics will be covered with a specific focus on communication and shared problem-solving to help trainees deal with the inevitable setbacks experienced in high knowledge environments.
There is no charge for participation, but advanced registration is required. Webinars will be recorded and shared with all registrants. Reach out to Ella Ulrike Klenke, PhD, director of OITE Resilience Programs, at klenkee@mail.nih.gov for more information and questions.
Physical Activity Alliance Newsletter
The mission of the Physical Activity Alliance (PAA) is to lead efforts to create, support and advocate policy and system changes that enable all Americans to enjoy physically active lives. The PAA July 2025 newsletter is now available. Visit the PAA website for more information.
Banner image courtesy of Miguel A. Amutio via Unsplash.
