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Finding funding for research
Grant monies are available, but you must be aggressive in your search to find them.
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You’ve probably heard your attendings talk about working on their next grant and all the work they pour into writing one. This month, I want to discuss potential sources of research funds. Even if you don’t want to have the words “research” or “grant” be a part of your regular vocabulary after your fellowship ends, for me, preparing a grant is an invaluable growing experience. Whether you’re just seeking experience in writing grants, are looking to fund your research, or want to walk the path toward an academic career, there are a number of grants for fellows. I’ve uncovered a few that may be of interest.
The Endocrine Fellows Foundation is a nonprofit organization (www.endocrinefellows.org) that “was established to provide a support system for endocrine fellows, helping them to expand their professional capabilities and broaden their exposure to research,” as the website reads. Each year, up to 24 grants are awarded in two cycles, in the spring and in fall. Each grant is for $7,500. The most recent grant cycle occurred in February; applications were due Feb. 27.
I recently received new information on two additional grants that will be added this year: The Marilyn Fishman Grant for Diabetes Research and the Fellowship Development Research Grant Program in Diabetes, Obesity and Fat Cell Biology. The Marilyn Fishman Grant for Diabetes Research is awarded for research in diabetes and obesity and has the same Feb. 27 deadline; up to 10 grants of $15,000 each will be awarded. Additional information on the Fellowship Development Research Grant Program in Diabetes, Obesity and Fat Cell Biology is pending.
The Endocrine Society offers two one-year grants to support fellows’ research efforts; applications were due Feb. 13. Both include a complimentary Endocrine Society membership and free online access to all four society journals through 2010. The Lilly Scholars Award is a $50,000 award for one fellow to conduct in vitro or in vivo research in diabetes, bone diseases or pituitary disorders. Further information can be found at www.endo-society.org/awards/research_fellowship/lilly.cfm. The Solvay Clinical Research Award provides $45,000 to one fellow for clinical research in hypogonadism and/or testosterone replacement. Visit www.endo-society.org/awards/research_fellowship/solvay.cfm for more information.
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Loan repayment assistance is available through the National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program grant. Designed to encourage health professionals to enter careers in clinical research, up to $35,000 per year of your loans, as well as reimburse state and federal taxes that result from a grant, in exchange for a two-year commitment. At the end of the two years, if you have educational debt remaining, you can apply for renewal funding. You must conduct research at a U.S. government or nonprofit institution. There are four other LRPs: Pediatric Research, Contraception & Infertility Research, Health Disparities Research and Clinical Research for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds. Consult the www.lrp.nih.gov/ website for details, including whether your loans qualify. The next application cycle will open on Sept. 1 and will close on Dec. 1.
The ADA (http://professional.diabetes.org/Diabetes_Research.aspx?cid=60655&typ=18) provides numerous opportunities for funding. Most of these are awarded to a mentor investigator to support a fellow. I will highlight just a few of them, with the newest being the ADA-Merck Clinical/Translational Science Postdoctoral Fellowship. This grant was added this year, and the award is $75,000 a year for up to two years. Applications were due Feb. 15 for funding to start July 1. Takeda Pharmaceuticals and the ADA offer separate $45,000 fellowship grants to support research in beta-cell biology as well as cardiovascular complications in diabetes.
These are just a small sampling of the potential funding sources out there. I highly encourage you to invest some of your time as a fellow to apply for one or more grants. The experience of writing one is not only challenging but — and I say this at the risk of having you think this is a typo or calling me overly idealistic — also fun and intellectually enriching.
Isn’t that part of why we became physicians?
Edward C. Chao, DO, is a Fellow at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and is a member of the Endocrine Today Fellows Advisory Board.