The American Association for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) is delighted to announce a new opportunity for one Early Career Professional (ECP) to complete a fully funded project aimed at understanding patterns, predictors, and potential interventions that promote referrals, enrollment, or adherence to Cardiac Rehabilitation based on data available as part of the AACVPR Cardiac Rehabilitation Registry. This opportunity is designed to help develop the next generation of leading investigators in cardiac rehabilitation and is generously supported by an Advancing Cardiac Rehabilitation Grant from the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) and Million Hearts®*. Applications for this opportunity are now being accepted.
Application Timeline
- Application Due Date: July 1, 2026
- Applicants Notified of Application Status: July 31, 2026
Application & Registry Data Publication Policies
Please ensure that all interested parties review the AACVPR Policy on Applications for Registry Data – Early Career Professional Opportunity and the AACVPR Policy on Publications Using Registry Data – Early Career Professional Opportunity and the full application prior to submission. Failure to adhere to these policies may lead to rejection of the application.
Application Instructions
To apply for this opportunity, please complete the following application and submit the application to research@aacvpr.org by July 1, 2026. Late submissions will not be reviewed.
Full Application - Word Document
Full Application - PDF
Definition of Early Career Professional
For the purpose of this opportunity, Early Career Professional (ECP) is defined as an individual that is within 7 years from their terminal degree or an individual currently enrolled in a post-graduate or post-doctoral program. This includes graduate students, residents, fellows, new graduates, instructors, and assistant professors, but excludes associate or full professors.
Definition of Project Sponsor and Mentor Pairing Opportunity
As part of the application process, the ECP will be asked to identify a Project Sponsor or Mentor, defined as an experienced researcher willing to work with the ECP on the development and execution of the project. If desired, the ECP will also have the opportunity to request and be mentored by additional project mentors as arranged by AACVPR if they would like extra guidance or support as part of their project. Applicants are not required to request an additional mentor. The AACVPR Research Committee will work to identify a researcher within AACVPR’s network who can assist with questions and feedback as the project progresses. ECPs are not required to request an additional project mentor.
Project Topics, Application Review and Selection Process
The review and selection process is overseen by the AACVPR Research Committee with attention to merit, feasibility, and alignment with the Million Hearts®/American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) Cardiac Rehabilitation Change Package, 2nd Edition, and / or the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) TAKEheart Initiative. One project will be selected for this opportunity.
We invite applicants to submit a project proposal on a topic of interest that is aligned with the goals of the Million Hearts®/American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) Cardiac Rehabilitation Change Package and/or the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) TAKEheart Initiative. Depending on the specific project proposed, the Early Career Professional may be paired with the analytic team of another related ongoing registry data project if the topics of interest align. AACVPR will notify the ECP at the time of application acceptance if their project aligns with an in-progress project and what that will mean for their project moving forward.
Applicants may be contacted during the application review process with requests for additional information.
Completed and In-Progress Registry Project
Visit the AACVPR DAC Analysis page for the full list of completed and in-progress analytic projects to avoid content overlap with other projects.
Questions?
Make sure to review the full application for more details on this project opportunity. Any questions regarding the application process, policy documents, or available data points should be sent to research@aacvpr.org for a response.
* Note on Advancing Cardiac Rehabilitation Grant Funding: This project is part of the National Association of Chronic Disease Director’s Million Hearts: Preventing Heart Attacks and Strokes with Chronic Disease Directors, which is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under CDC/HHS as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1,500,000, with 100% funded by CDC/HHS.