INDIVIDUAL POSTDOCTORAL NRSA FELLOWSHIPS IN CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY

Release Date:  March 30, 1999 

PA NUMBER:  PA-99-078

P.T.

National Institute of General Medical Sciences

PURPOSE

Progress in drug and therapeutic development in recent years has increased the
need for clinically trained scientists with an understanding and knowledge of
drug action in humans.  In response, the NIGMS announces the availability of
individual NRSA postdoctoral fellowships to support high quality physicians
seeking research training in the field of clinical pharmacology.  These
fellowships are intended to support up to three years of advanced training to
individuals with the M.D. degree to qualify them to perform basic laboratory
and/or clinical investigations of the effects and mechanisms of drug actions in
humans, in the scientific areas consistent with the mission of NIGMS. One goal
of this initiative is to promote high quality clinical pharmacology research
training at academic health centers. Therefore, a special feature of this award
is to encourage applicants at institutions with a General Clinical Research
Center (GCRC) supported by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) to
submit a letter of endorsement from the director of the training institution's
GCRC. The intent is to promote interaction between the applicant and the staff
and director of the GCRC, expose the applicant to the extensive resources and
rich research environment of the GCRC, and to raise the visibility of this
important area of translational research within the institution.

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000

The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion
and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2000," a PHS led national
activity for setting priority areas. This Program Announcement (PA), Individual
Postdoctoral NRSA Fellowships in Clinical Pharmacology, is related to one or more
of the priority areas. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People
2000" at http://www.crisny.org/health/us/health7.html.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Candidate: The candidate must have an M.D. degree or its equivalent, and must
meet the criteria for the NIH National Research Service Awards For Individual
Postdoctoral Fellows (F32) described in program announcement PA-99-025, available
in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts (release date December 11, 1998;
available at http://www.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-99-025.html). 
Racial/ethnic minority individuals, women, and persons with disabilities are
encouraged to apply. By the time of award, individuals must be citizens or non-
citizen nationals of the United States, or have been lawfully admitted to the
United States for permanent residence (i.e., possess a currently valid Alien
Registration Receipt Card I-551, or other legal verification of such status).
Non-citizen nationals are generally persons born in outlying possessions of the
United States (i.e., American Samoa and Swains Island). Individuals on temporary
or student visas are not eligible.

Sponsorship: Before submitting a fellowship application, the applicant must
identify a sponsoring institution and an individual who will serve as a sponsor
(also called mentor or supervisor) and will supervise the training and research
experience. The sponsoring institution may be private (profit or nonprofit) or
public, including the NIH Intramural Programs and other Federal laboratories.
The applicant's sponsor should be an active investigator in the area of the
proposed research who will directly supervise the candidate's research. The
sponsor must document the availability of staff, research support, and facilities
for high-quality research training.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

This PA will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Individual Postdoctoral
NRSA Fellowship Award (F32) mechanism. The total project period for an
application submitted in response to this PA may not exceed a total of three
years.  The requested project period should be reduced by the amount of time a
fellow has received support on any prior NRSA post-doctoral support, including
Institutional NRSA Training Grants (e.g., T32s).  For further information refer
to the NIH Guidelines for the NIH National Research Service Awards for Individual
Postdoctoral Fellows (F32) published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
(PA-99-025) http://www.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-99-025.html

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The overall goal of this research training initiative is to increase the number
of clinician scientists trained to investigate questions in clinical
pharmacology, and to advance the scientific knowledge of this field.  A secondary
goal is to enhance the visibility of this discipline at U.S. academic health
centers and encourage interaction of applicants with NIH-supported General
Clinical Research Centers (GCRC).

NIGMS supports individual postdoctoral fellowships in those areas covered by its
research grant portfolio.  More detailed information of research areas supported
by the NIGMS can be found on the NIGMS homepage (http://www.nih.gov/nigms/). 

INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups and their
subpopulations must be included in all NIH supported biomedical and behavioral
research projects involving human subjects, unless a clear and compelling
rationale and justification is provided that inclusion is inappropriate with
respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of the research. This policy
results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Section 492B of Public Law 103-
43). All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read
the "NIH Guidelines For Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical
Research," which have been published in the Federal Register of March 28, 1994
(FR 59 14508-14513) and in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Vol. 23, No.
11, March 18, 1994 available on the web at the following URL address: 
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not94-100.html

INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of NIH that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21)
must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or supported by the
NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons not to include them. This
policy applies to all initial (Type 1) applications submitted for receipt dates
after October 1, 1998.  All investigators proposing research involving human
subjects should read the "NIH Policy and Guidelines on the Inclusion of Children
as Participants in Research Involving Human Subjects" that was published in the
NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, March 6, 1998, and is available at the
following URL address: http://www.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-024.html

Investigators also may obtain copies of these policies from the program staff
listed under INQUIRIES. Program staff may also provide additional relevant
information concerning the policy.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Applications are to be submitted on the form PHS 416-1 (rev. 8/95) available at:
http://www.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm.  Application kits are available from most
institutional offices of sponsored research and from the Division of Extramural
Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge
Drive, MSC 7910; Bethesda, MD 20892-7710, telephone (301) 710-0267, email:
grantsinfo@nih.gov.  Information on the current stipend levels may be found at:
http://www.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-161.html.  Applications for
fellowship awards must include at least three sealed letters of reference. 
Fellowship applications submitted without the required number of reference
letters will be considered incomplete and will be returned without review.

Applicants at institutions with a NIH-supported GCRC are encouraged to include
a letter of support from the GCRC program director with the application.

All individual fellowship applications are on an expedited review schedule.
Receipt dates for applications are April 5, August 5, and December 5 annually. 
The earliest dates that awards can be made are November, January, and May,
respectively.

The title and number of the program announcement must be typed on line 2 of the
face page of the application form and the YES box must be marked.

The original and two copies of the application must be submitted to:

CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040, MSC-7710
BETHESDA, MD  20892-7710
BETHESDA, MD  20817 (for express/courier service)

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral
guidelines.  Applications submitted in response to this program announcement will
be reviewed in accordance with the standard NIH peer review procedures.  The
following factors are considered in the review of fellowship applications: (1)
the candidate's potential for a research career; (2) the scientific or scholarly
merit and training potential of the research proposal; (3) the training
environment and resources; and (4) assessment of the value of the proposed
fellowship experience.  The second level of review is performed by the
appropriate oversight group of the NIH awarding component.

AWARD CRITERIA

Applications will compete for available training funds with all other approved
fellowship applications.  The following will be considered in making funding
decisions: quality of the fellowship application as determined by peer review,
availability of funds, and program priority.  Applications with letters of
support from GCRC directors will receive special consideration. 

INQUIRIES

Inquiries are strongly encouraged.  The opportunity to clarify any issues or
questions from potential applicants is welcome.

Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to: 

Alison E. Cole, Ph.D.
Division of Pharmacology, Physiology and Biological Chemistry
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
45 Center Drive, MSC 6200
Bethesda, MD 20892-6200
Telephone: (301) 594-1826
FAX: (301) 480-2802
Email: colea@nigms.nih.gov

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:

Ms. Antoinette Holland
Grants Management Office
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
45 Center Drive, MSC 6200
Bethesda, MD 20892-6200
Telephone: (301) 594-5132
FAX: (301) 480-3423
Email:  hollandt@nigms.nih.gov

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

NRSA awards are made under the authority of Section 487 of the Public Health
Service Act as amended (42 USC 288) and Title 42 of the Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 66.  The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number is
93.859.  This program is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements
of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review.

The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to provide a smoke-
free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco products.  In addition,
Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in certain
facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which regular or
routine education, library, day care, health care or early childhood development
services are provided to children.  This is consistent with the PHS mission to
protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American people.


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