NHLBI TOPMed Announces Fellowship Program to Promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Genomic Data Science Research Workforce
Notice Number:
NOT-HL-23-086

Key Dates

Release Date:

May 17, 2023

Related Announcements

  • June 1, 2022 - NHLBI TOPMed: Omics Phenotypes of Heart, Lung, and Blood Disorders (X01 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOSI PAR-22-194.
  • July 6, 2021 - Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Integrative Omics Analysis of NHLBI TOPMed Data (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See Notice NOT-HL-21-017.

Issued by

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Purpose

The purpose of this Notice is to inform the research community of the release of a program solicitation on May 1, 2023, announcing the availability of a fellowship program opportunity with activities intended to develop a cadre of scientists from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups in biomedical research, that will have expertise in the areas of genetics and genomics relevant to heart, lung, blood, and sleep diseases and disorders. The program solicitation was released on the TOPMed Administrative Coordinating Center (ACC) website: 2023 TOPMed Fellowship.

A goal of the NHLBI TOPMed program is to generate scientific resources that will advance precision medicine in the prevention and treatment of heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders. The NHLBI TOPMed program generates a collection of whole genome sequencing and multi-omics data that will advance precision medicine in the prevention and treatment of heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders. This data is available for access by researchers in the BioData Catalyst and dbGaP databases.

Research shows that diverse teams working together and capitalizing on innovative ideas and distinct perspectives outperform homogenous teams. Scientists and trainees from diverse backgrounds and life experiences bring different perspectives, creativity, and individual enterprise to address complex scientific problems. There are many benefits that result from a diverse NHLBI-supported scientific workforce, including: fostering scientific innovation; enhancing global competitiveness; contributing to robust learning environments; improving the quality of research; advancing research in health disparity populations; improving health equity, and enhancing public trust. NHLBI recognizes a unique and compelling need for its precision medicine program to promote inclusive excellence in genomics and data sciences research workforce. With this fellowship program, TOPMed seeks to facilitate the career advancement and/or transition of participants to the next steps in their scientific careers and to develop a cadre of scientists from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups in biomedical research, capable of leading genomic data science research in the areas relevant to heart, lung, blood, and sleep diseases and disorders.

Applicants need to focus on the area within NHLBI’s mission and propose to use existing or upcoming data to conduct discovery research. Applicants are encouraged to use TOPMed data as either the primary or secondary dataset in their proposals. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support (see NOT-OD-20-031 Notice of NIH's Interest in Diversity)

Please see TOPMed Fellowship solicitation for specific information regarding application budget and number of awards.

Application due date is July 31, 2023, 5:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

A technical assistance webinar will be held for potential applicants prior to application submission. Please see the solicitation for details of the webinar.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries regarding this Notice to:

Application Submission Contact

TOPMed Administrative Coordinating Center (ACC)
Westat
Telephone: 855-716-2365
Email: topmed-admin@westat.com

Program Contacts

Jane Ye, Ph.D.
Division of Lung Diseases
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Telephone: 301-480-7447
Email: jane.ye@nih.gov

Huiqing Li, Ph.D.
Division of Cardiovascular Sciences
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Telephone: 301-435-0554
Email: Huiqing.li@nih.gov

IIana Goldberg, Ph.D.
Division of Blood Diseases and Resources
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Telephone: 301-496-8587
Email: ilana.golberg@nih.gov