Objective

The Collaborative to Advance Clinical Health Equity (CACHE) at Duke Health is soliciting applications for innovative projects that leverage CACHE’s infrastructure and capabilities to identify, address, and eliminate disparities in healthcare.

This RFA seeks interdisciplinary projects that utilize data science, comparative effectiveness research, inferential and predictive modeling, quality improvement, implementation science, social epidemiology, and community engagement to identify and mitigate healthcare disparities. While no direct funds are provided, selected projects will receive substantial analytics, informatics, community engagement, and mentorship support from the CACHE team. In addition, CACHE will work with health system leaders to provide project management, informatics, and statistical support. For more information on past and current CACHE supported projects, please visit CACHE Projects.

Projects must aim to enhance clinical care and outcomes by implementing proven clinical strategies within the Duke Health system. Proposals examining new interventions for efficacy will not be selected. All projects must address health disparities and align with DUHS or departmental priorities. CACHE supports piloting and refining interventions for broader implementation within Duke Health. Applicants should consider guidance from DUHS quality improvement leaders in developing their letters of intent. Applications with additional resource commitments from the applicant’s department or health system unit will receive additional consideration.

Key Requirements

1. Institutional Priorities: Projects should address health system institutional priorities.
2. Academic Support: Applicants must confirm appropriate leadership support from chief or chair to ensure time for project completion, result presentation, and publication. We estimate that 10% effort is necessary for successful engagement.
3. Project Goals and Team Composition: Projects should focus on scalable implementation and workflow impact, with a team capable of driving changes and measuring success.

Award Information

• Projects should demonstrate success within a 12-month period.
• Up to three projects will be selected, one of which will be focused in cancer.
• Expectations include PI attendance at monthly check-in meetings with the CACHE core team; presentation of intermediate and final progress reports; external presentation of results; and published manuscript of findings.

Eligibility Requirements

• Project teams must include at least one Primary Investigator (PI) with a Duke faculty appointment.
• Teams are encouraged to include members from diverse disciplines to foster interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Early career faculty are strongly encouraged to apply.

Application Guidelines

• Mandatory Letters of Intent (LOI): Due on March 13, 2025
• LOI Review: Reviewed by CACHE team by April 1, 2025
• Full Proposals: Due on May 28, 2025. Only invited applicants can submit full proposals.
• Project Start: No earlier than September 2, 2025.

LOI Submission

• Submit a brief summary outlining the project’s objectives, significance (including evidence of a national, regional or local disparity in care), and team composition.
• The LOI Template can be downloaded here. LOIs are a 1-page maximum; at least 0.5-inch margins, 11-point font or larger.
• Please name the file using the following format: lastname_LOI
• LOIs should be submitted in PDF format via Qualtrics.

Full Proposal Submission

Invited applicants must submit the following (at least 0.5-inch margins, 11-point font or larger).