One of my clients sent me this and I thought there may be someone who reads it here that may be interested:
My name is Susan Promislo and I am the communications officer for the Pioneer Portfolio of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Pioneer Portfolio supports innovative projects and ideas that may spur breakthrough improvements in the future of health and health care. One area we have increasingly been exploring is the connection between gaming and game technologies and health and health care — we recently launched a new national program to support research and analysis in this emerging area.
Health Games Research is an $8.25 million RWJF national program that supports outstanding research to enhance the quality and impact of interactive games used to improve health. The goal of the program is to advance the innovation, design, and effectiveness of health games and game technologies so that they help people improve their health-related behaviors and, as a result, achieve significantly better health outcomes.
Health Games Research is led by Dr. Debra Lieberman of the University of California, Santa Barbara and it has issued its first call for proposals - I have provided a summary of the program and current funding opportunity from Dr. Lieberman below. The application deadline is Jan. 29 and we’re hoping to stimulate as many high-quality proposals as possible; up to $2 million will be made in research grants during this round, and a second round of funding will be available in late 2008. I was hoping you might be willing to share word of this new program and CFP among members of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research.
Please let me know if I can provide any additional information. I would be most grateful for any help you could provide in sharing this via ABMR networks and/or any other channels you think are appropriate.
Best wishes for a wonderful 2008, and sincere thanks for your assistance.
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Susan Promislo
Communications Officer
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
609.627.7638
spromislo@rwjf.org
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HEALTH GAMES RESEARCH
By now, I hope you have seen the announcement of the Health Games Research national program http://www.healthgamesresearch.org generously funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Pioneer Portfolio. The program offers researchers from many fields and disciplines a great opportunity to conduct research in this emerging field, both to advance the design and effectiveness of health games and to provide an evidence base for decision-makers who buy, use, recommend, produce, or fund health games.
Here’s the Call for Proposals
http://www.rwjf.org/applications/solicited/cfp.jsp?ID=20001
for up to $200,000 in research funding. In two rounds of funding, the program will award up to $2 million in 2008 and also up to $2 million in 2009. Proposals for the first round are due January 29, 2008 (3:00 p.m. EST). The Call for Proposals provides details about eligibility and research areas.
On the web site http://www.healthgamesresearch.org you can (1) access the Call for Proposals, (2) read FAQs, (3) register for our applicant web conferences on December 13 (where we will present information about the grants program and answer questions), and (4) apply for a grant.
If the program’s web site, Call for Proposals, FAQs, and web conferences don’t answer your questions, you may submit questions to healthgamesresearch@rwjf.org and your e-mail will be forwarded to the appropriate staff member, who will send you answers.
Health Games Research has a national program office, which Dr. Debra Lieberman directs at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The RWJF funding will continue for 4.5 years until 2012. In addition to managing the grants program, the national program office at UCSB will develop a searchable online database of publications, research findings, organizations, experts, technologies, games, and other resources of interest to the field. Staff will also conduct studies of health games, create research tools, and issue reports and research briefs to summarize work in this field. And, they will work to convey the field’s research findings to a wide audience of decision-makers in medicine, health promotion, game publishing, technology and software, policymaking, government, academe, K-12 education, community leadership, etc., as well as invite and facilitate their participation, support, and research collaboration.
Games for Health http://www.gamesforhealth.org, led by Ben Sawyer, has also received funding from RWJF to work as a partner with the Health Games Research program to help build the field. Ben will convene regional and national meetings such as the popular annual Games for Health Conference, lead competitions, and lead online and offline forums to strengthen ties between the worlds of game development and health care. He will continue working to encourage and facilitate the development of high quality, well designed health games, bringing people and groups together and helping them find resources and opportunities.
Ben has already done so much to build the field, and this funding will help him boost and expand this great work.
For further information from RWJF about funding calls, publications, and news, you can sign up here http://www.rwjf.org/services/ to receive e-mail alerts.
I hope you will take a look at the Call for Proposals and, if eligible, consider submitting an application to Health Games Research in January.
Thanks!
I’ve read my fair share of articles and previous studies of “good gaming” — or cases where gaming benefits the player in physical and/or mental aspects. Lord knows I’ve posted my fair share over at BYKYC.
