The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) issued by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is to announce the re-competition of the Women’s Reproductive Health Research (WHRH) Career Development Program. This national group of mentored institutional career development programs prepares junior faculty who have recently completed postgraduate clinical training in obstetrics and gynecology and are committed to an independent research career in women's reproductive health. The goal of this program is to continue to build the national capacity of outstanding junior clinician-investigators who will strengthen the field of obstetrics and gynecology and contribute to the improvement of women’s health.
This FOA allows appointment of Scholars (K12) proposing to participate in basic, translational, or clinical research. Scholars may participate in clinical trials by proposing to serve as the lead investigator of an independent clinical trial; or proposing a separate ancillary clinical trial; or proposing to gain research experience in a clinical trial led by another investigator, as part of their research and career development.
Deadlines:
RFA-HD-20-013 Expiration Date November 30, 2019
The sponsoring institution must assure support for the proposed program. Appropriate institutional commitment to the program includes the provision of adequate staff, facilities, and educational resources that can contribute to the planned program.
An application may be submitted on behalf of a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (here understood to include a department providing obstetrical and/or gynecologic care as its primary function, regardless of title) that has as a primary teaching site either in a hospital for women or within a larger medical institution The applicant institution must have an adequate pool of highly trained established investigators in research related to obstetrics and gynecology and its related subspecialty areas. Applicant institutions must have the clinical specialties and subspecialties as well as the clinical and research facilities sufficient to meet the purposes of the WRHR Program, namely, to bridge clinical training with a career in basic, translational and/or clinical research relevant to women's reproductive health. These institutions should also have the commitment and capability to provide career development guidance to promising candidates who aspire to become independent investigators.
The applicant institution must have a strong and high-quality research program in the area(s) proposed under this FOA and must have the requisite faculty, staff, potential trainees and facilities on site to conduct the proposed institutional program. In many cases, it is anticipated that the proposed program will complement other ongoing career development programs occurring at the applicant institution and that a substantial number of program faculty will have active research projects in which participating scholars may gain relevant experiences consistent with their research interests and goals.
The WRHR Principal Investigator (PD/PI) must be the Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The PD/PI should be an established investigator and capable of providing both administrative and scientific leadership for the development and implementation of the proposed program.
The PD/PI will be responsible for the selection and appointment of trainees to the approved research training program, and for the overall direction, management, administration, and evaluation of the program. The PD/PI will be expected to monitor and assess the program and submit all documents and reports as required. The PD/PI will be responsible for appointing members of the Advisory Committee and incorporating Committee recommendations.
If desired, a separate Research Director may be designated to take responsibility for the day to day administration of the program. The proposed division of responsibilities between the Research Director and PD/PI must be clearly delineated within the application with a clear statement that all final decisions are the responsibility of the PD/PI. The Research Director, if different than the PD/PI, must possess the educational and scientific expertise, leadership, and administrative capabilities required to coordinate and supervise a multidisciplinary research and career development program of this scope.
Applicants may request direct cost budgets of up to $315,000 per year.
The maximum project period is 5 years.
