The Program for Leadership and Character is pleased to announce two requests for proposals open to employees of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Advocate Health. The “Character in Medicine” and “Character in Health Systems” applications exist to identify and provide resources to educators and care team leaders who aim to promote compassionate patient care by supporting the personal growth and well-being of their students and care team members. 


Character in Medicine Grant

The Character in Medicine Grant exists to empower employees of the Wake Forest University and Advocate Health System to design, implement, and/or more rigorously assess educational programs that promote participants’ character development, including, for example, by developing:

This grant will fund proposals to launch pilot projects, revise existing programs, and/or implement research and/or assessment on programs to better understand their character growth impacts.

Contact Suzanne DanhauerLauren Iley-Spear, & Elizabeth Whiting with questions. 

Application window: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis between May 2024 – August 2025

Who may apply: Faculty or staff from The Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Advocate Health System

Grant amount: $1,000 to $30,000
(Projects costing above $7,500 require a preliminary discussion with Elizabeth Whiting and/or Lauren Iley-Spear.)

Application link: Estimated time required to complete application: 30+ minutes


Character in Health Systems Request for Partner Proposals

The Program for Leadership and Character will be crafting a request to the Kern Family Foundation (KFF) for a multi-million dollar gift to support the Program’s work in training leaders of character in medical professions. In preparation to write that application, the Program invites partners in the WFU School of Medicine and Advocate Health System to share their ideas for educational projects that promote the character and/or character-based leadership development of the following populations:

  1. students preparing for medical professions
  2. medical educators (broadly defined)
  3. clinicians
  4. healthcare system leaders. 

Through this KFF gift, the Program seeks to supply funds and expertise to partners who will launch pilot projects, revise existing educational programs, and/or implement research and/or assessment on educational programs to better understand their character growth impacts. 

Contact Elizabeth Whiting with questions.

Who may apply: Faculty or staff from The Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Advocate Health System

Project costs: $1,000 – $5 Million+ per project

Application window: Applications are open from May 2024 – August 2024, to be implemented in 2026-2031

Application link: Estimated time required to complete application: 20+ minutes