Early Career Faculty Research Award
NEC Society Early Career Faculty Research Award
The NEC Society’s mission is to build a world without necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) by advancing research, education, and advocacy. Every year, the NEC Society is honored to award a $5,000 Research Award opportunity for early career faculty physician-scientists whose primary research aligns with the NEC Research Priorities.
Applications for the 2026 Early Career Faculty Research Award are now closed.Â
Primary Objectives
- Advance the NEC Research Priorities
- Increase future funding opportunities for NEC research
- Encourage timely dissemination of NEC research
Applications Due: Stay tuned for 2027!
Congratulations to the 2026 Awardee: Katie Strobel, MD, MS
The NEC Society is honored to fund Katie Strobel, MD, MS, with $5,000 as our Early Career Research Faculty Award recipient.
Dr. Strobel is a neonatologist from Seattle Children’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington. She is the Director of the MIND group (Microbial Interactions with Nutrition and Development) and has a research focus on optimizing neonatal growth and intestinal health in vulnerable infants.
Eligibility Criteria and Requirements
Eligibility:
- Early career physician-scientists within 8 years of fellowship completion
- Member of the NEC Society Research Incubator. Join here
- Reference from someone in the NEC research field
Requirements:
- Research must align with one or more of the NEC Research Priorities. Â
- Awardee will share at least one photo and project update for the NEC Society to feature on NECsociety.org and virtual platforms.
- Awardee will contact their institution’s PR/communications team to inform them about the award and ask their institution to feature their NEC research.
Project Description
The project description should be no more than 3 pages (not including references), and submitted as a PDF included in the Google Form.Â
Please follow the project description template, linked below.
Scoring
The NEC Society’s staff and Scientific Advisory Council will review each application using the scoring rubric below. After the award winner is announced, the NEC Society will set up an introductory virtual meeting with the winner. Award funds will be paid to the awardee’s institution (no indirect funding). Awardees will provide written project updates at regular intervals to be determined, depending on the scope of the project.Â
The following scale will be used (highest score = 24):
Not At All = 0 points; Very Little = 1 point; Somewhat = 2 points; Most Definitely = 3 points
- Significance
- Does it relate to one or more of the NEC Research Priorities?
- Does the project fill a current research gap?
- Is there an established commitment to the field of NEC research?
- Has the applicant shown initiative towards engagement and long-term commitment to the NEC Society
- Feasibility
- Does the project appear to be feasible and achievable?
- Has the applicant demonstrated they have or will collaborate with others in our field?
- Approach
- Is the proposal clear and well-written?
- Is the evidence provided adequate and directly related to the project?
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