Health Equity Innovation Pilot Grants: A Collaborative Mechanism to Promote Advocacy, Career Development, and Sustainable Change.

Abstract

Abstract: In 2019, Brigham and Women's Hospital Department of Medicine (BWH-DOM) established the Health Equity Innovation Pilot (HEIP) program to fund grants led by BWH-DOM faculty members that aimed to address inequities in hospital-based care delivery or outcomes. One-year grants of up to $40,000 total were cofunded by this BWH-DOM program and by the applicant's BWH-DOM division to support health equity research or care innovation interventions. Recipients participated in a learning collaborative, which included community-building, health equity research and advocacy-related educational sessions, and midterm and final presentations. Between 2019 and 2024, the program received 77 applications and funded 46 projects (60%), with more than $1.3 million committed and with most BWH-DOM divisions participating. Thirty-four of the 46 funded projects (74%) included mentorship of medical students, residents, and/or fellows. The impact of the HEIP program was observed within 5 key categories: advancing knowledge, capacity building, informing policies, health and health sector benefits, and broad socioeconomic benefits. A survey conducted among grantees from 2019 to 2021, with 26 of 27 project teams responding, demonstrated that there were 16 publications, 68 presentations, 6 workshops led, and 19 new clinical innovations and/or initiatives implemented. HEIP-funded projects have resulted in numerous presentations at the local and national levels, advocacy for nationwide policy changes (e.g., removal of the estimated glomerular filtration rate race modifier, redefinition of the Duffy null-specific absolute neutrophil count reference range), development of educational materials, redesign of hospital admission pathways, and more than 20 publications. The HEIP program demonstrates the impact of an action-oriented, health equity-focused initiative to promote sustainable change at a large academic medical center.