Programs to Increase Diversity Among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research

Mónica Ivelisse Feliú-Mójer's picture

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Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research educational activities that complement other formal training programs in the mission areas of the NIH Institutes and Centers. The over-arching goals of the NIH R25 program are to: (1) complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs; (2) enhance the diversity of the biomedical, behavioral and clinical research workforce; (3) help recruit individuals with specific specialty or disciplinary backgrounds to research careers in biomedical, behavioral and clinical sciences; and (4) foster a better understanding of biomedical, behavioral and clinical research and its implications.

The goal of this NHLBI 25 program is to enhance the diversity of the biomedical, behavioral and clinical research workforce.  In support of this goal, this FOA will support the following activities:   

  • Research Experiences for transitioning postdoctorates,  and junior faculty to extend their skills, experiences, and knowledge base
  • Courses for Skills Development,  for example, advanced courses in a specific discipline or research area, clinical procedures for research, or specialized research techniques.  
  • Mentoring Activities that dedicate efforts to providing not only technical expertise, but advice, insight, and professional career skills to transitioning postdoctorates and junior faculty.
Objectives and Scope

The primary goal of Programs to Increase Diversity Among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research (PRIDE) Summer Institutes is to support research experiences, courses for skills development, and mentoring activities for "research-oriented" junior faculty and transitioning postdoctoral scientists who are underrepresented in the biomedical sciences, to further develop their research skills and gain experience in advanced methods and experimental approaches in basic and applied sciences relevant to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

Ultimately, the enhanced skills to be gained will allow program participants to improve their career development as faculty members and scientists, and successfully compete for external funding for scientific research in the biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and social sciences. This FOA specifically invites applications from senior faculty, established researchers, and experienced mentors to direct the Summer Institutes of the PRIDE programs in order to provide research experiences, courses for skills development, and mentoring activities to promising junior faculty and transistioning postdoctoral candidates. This FOA runs in parallel with a separate FOA that solicits applications for a Coordination Core for PRIDE (see RFA-HL-14-022).

Research Education Objectives

In response to this FOA, each Summer Institute applicant must propose to design, organize, and implement a Summer Institute program that is open nationwide to individuals from  backgrounds underrepresented in the biomedical sciences .  The Summer Institutes will promote the mentorship and scientific career development of selected candidates or mentees who demonstrate specific interest in the pursuit of research in NHLBI mission relevant areas. NHLBI mission relevant areas can be found in its strategic plan: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/strategicplan/documents/SP_Summary.pdf.  The Summer Institute program will be designed to enhance and develop research careers by providing mentorship and advice on research design, skills and methodologies, strategies to prepare research grants, and tips for success in obtaining external funding in research related to HLBS disorders.

To be responsive to this FOA, Summer Institutes must be able to offer research experiences in one of the following NHLBI mission-relevant areas  ( i.e. heart, lung, blood, or sleep disorders, or HLBS-relevant health disparities research). Examples of topic areas relevant to this FOA include, but are not limited to:

  • Behavioral medicine approaches targeted at the prevention or treatment of hypertension, coronary artery disease, or heart failure.
  • Basic and clinical aspects of mechanisms of and treatment for sleep disordered breathing.
  • Health or health care disparities research in asthma, hypertension, or cardiovascular disease in minority populiations. .
  • Basic and clinical aspects of cardiovascular or pulmonary disorders.
  • Health services research focused on treatment of nonmalignant blood diseases, including anemias, sickle cell disease, and thalassemia.

Each Summer Institute program must focus on only one topic area and must address the scientific career development needs of the selected mentees.

Applications concerning AIDS and AIDS-related topics are non-responsive to this FOA.

Read the full announcement here.

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