Full Text DE-93-005

SHORT-TERM TRAINING FOR MINORITY AND WOMEN DENTAL STUDENTS

NIH GUIDE, Volume 22, Number 20, June 4, 1993

RFA:  DE-93-005

P.T. 44, FF, II

Keywords: 
  Oral Diseases 


National Institute of Dental Research

Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  August 10, 1993
Application Receipt Date:  September 10, 1993

PURPOSE

The National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR) invites applications
proposing short-term, institutional training programs for minority and
women dental students in basic and clinical oral health research.  The
NIDR has found that there is a paucity of minority and women
investigators in oral health research.  The primary objective of this
training program is to provide women and minority dental students an
opportunity to obtain a research experience during their professional
training.  This will encourage the selection of research careers and
help them to develop into clinical investigators.  These programs must
involve collaborative funding among the NIDR, the applicant
institution, and/or other public or private sources.

Proposed training must be relevant to the goals of the NIDR, as
described in the NIDR Long-Range Research Plan for the Nineties,
"Broadening the Scope."  Availability of this publication is described
under the section on INQUIRIES.  The NIDR supports research on the
causes, epidemiology, prevention, diagnoses, and treatments of dental
caries, periodontal and oral soft tissue diseases, craniofacial
anomalies and orofacial pain.  This includes normal and abnormal
craniofacial development; the structure and function of teeth, jaws,
oral mucosa, bone, connective tissue, salivary glands and other organs
and tissues of the craniofacial complex; trigeminal neurobiology; the
relationship of behavioral, social, economic and cultural factors to
oral diseases and conditions; dental biomaterials; and the role of
fluoride and nutrition in oral health and disease.  The Institute
emphasizes the need for research on older Americans, minority groups,
and individuals with medical and handicapping conditions or who are
otherwise at high risk for oral health problems.

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 Request
for Applications (RFA), Short-Term Training for Minority and Women
Dental Students, is related to the priority area of oral health.
Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2000" (Full
Report:  Stock No. 017-001-00474-0) or "Healthy People 2000" (Summary
Report:  Stock No. 017-001-00473-1) through the Superintendent of
Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325
(telephone 202/783-3238).

Eligibility Requirements

Applications may be submitted from domestic, public, and private
institutions and the applicant institution must have, or be able to
develop, the staff and facilities for the proposed program.

Applications will be accepted to provide training for women and
minority dental degree students for a short-term research experience,
during the summer months, with a minimum period of two months.

Trainees must be enrolled in a program leading to a D.D.S. or
equivalent degree.  Trainees must be citizens or non-citizen nationals
of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent
residence (i.e., in possession of the Alien Registration Receipt Card
I-551 or I-151) at the time of appointment.  Individuals on temporary
or student visas are not eligible.

Minority trainees may be any of the following: American Indian or
Alaskan Native (a person having origins in any of the original peoples
of North America, and who maintains cultural identification through
tribal affiliation or community recognition); Black (not of Hispanic
origin) (a person having origins in any of the black racial groups of
Africa); Hispanic (a person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or
South American or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race);
Pacific Islander (a person having origins in any of the original
peoples of Hawaii; the U.S. Pacific Territories of Guam, American
Samoa, and the Northern Marianas; the U.S. Trust Territory of Palau;
the islands of Micronesia and Melanesia; or the Philippines).  If the
applicant institution determines that Asians are underrepresented at
their institution in the sciences in which training will be offered,
they may be appointed to this training grant.  An Asian is defined as
a person having origins in any of the original peoples of East Asia,
Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent.  This area includes, for
example, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

This RFA will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National
Research Service Award (NRSA) Short-Term Institutional Research
Training Grant (T35).  Responsibility for the planning, direction, and
execution of the proposed project will be solely that of the applicant.
The total project period for applications submitted in response to this
RFA may not exceed five years; awards may be renewable upon the
completion of a successful competing application.  Trainees may receive
up to three months of support per year.

FUNDS AVAILABLE

The NIDR expects to make up to four institutional training awards in
response to this RFA.  This level of support is dependent on the
receipt of a sufficient number of applications of high scientific and
educational merit.  Although this program is provided for in the
financial plans of the NIDR, awards pursuant to this RFA are contingent
upon the availability of funds for this purpose.

An institution may hold two NIDR NRSA Short-Term Training Grants, one
conventional, short-term training grant and one in response to this
RFA.

BACKGROUND

The NIDR is committed to increasing the number of women and members of
minority groups that are underrepresented in oral health research.  A
variety of mechanisms are used to encourage women and minorities to
consider careers in oral health research and obtain the necessary
training.  The NIDR cofunds oral health related projects in the
Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) and Minority Access to
Research Careers (MARC) programs sponsored by the National Institute of
General Medical Sciences.  The MBRS program awards grants to
educational institutions with substantial minority enrollments to
support research by faculty members, strengthen the institutions'
biomedical research capabilities, and provide opportunities for
students to work as part of a research team.  The MARC program provides
special research training opportunities for faculty and students at
4-year colleges, universities and health professional schools, in which
substantial student enrollments are drawn from minority groups.

NIDR staff work closely with the Office of Research on Women's Health,
NIH, to encourage the participation of women in oral health research
and to provide research supplements to enable women and men to reenter
an active research career after taking time off to attend to pressing
family responsibilities.

Applications for all institutional training and career development
programs must include formal plans for the recruitment of women and
minorities; recruitment records are evaluated critically when renewal
applications are reviewed for funding.  In 1992, almost 30 percent of
individuals receiving training under the Career Development Award
program (K awards) were women; almost 40 percent of individuals
supported by the NRSA program were women.  Minorities constituted only
11 and 15 percent of individuals supported by the Career Development
and NRSA training programs, respectively.  However, NIDR Research
Supplements for Underrepresented Minorities provide another approach to
research training for minorities.  In 1992, supplements to research
project, program project and center grants allowed 33 minority
university faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students,
undergraduates and high school students, to participate in NIDR
sponsored research.

Clearly, additional efforts are needed to encourage minorities and
women to consider careers in oral health research.  One proven strategy
is to provide an opportunity for these individuals to experience
research first-hand under the mentorship of an investigator active in
oral health research. An opportune time to participate in such an
experience is during dental school training when students are
considering career choices.  Awards resulting from this RFA will
provide such opportunities.

Program Characteristics

The training program must provide opportunities for minority and women
dental students to carry out supervised biomedical or behavioral oral
health research and develop research skills.  Clinical programs must
have strong relationships with basic research to assure students the
opportunity to acquire the necessary experience to pursue basic and
clinical research training.

The training program director will be responsible for the selection and
appointment of trainees and for the overall direction of the program.
In addition, the program director and awardee institution will be
expected to track the career paths of all the trainees for a period of
ten years after they receive their dental degree.  The program director
will provide the NIDR with these data annually.

Applicants may request as many trainee positions as can be justified,
with a minimum of four trainees per year.

The program will be a collaborative funding effort among the NIDR, the
applicant institution, and other public and/or private sources.
Stipends and other training costs will be provided by the NIDR.  Other
support sources will provide room and board for the time the dental
students are on the short-term training grant, if necessary.  If
students require funds to travel from their home base to the applicant
institution to participate on this training grant, the program director
and the awardee institution must obtain the necessary resources to do
this.

Stipends and Other Training Costs

The stipend for trainees is $734 per month ($8,800 per year).

Institutions may supplement the stipends with non-Federal funds.
Federal funds may be used for stipend supplementation only if
specifically authorized under the terms of the program from which the
supplemental funds are derived.  An individual may make use of Federal
educational loan funds or Department of Veterans' Affairs benefits when
permitted by those programs.  Under no circumstance may the condition
of stipend supplementation detract from or prolong the training.

The Tax Reform Act, Public Law 99-514, impacts on the tax liability of
all individuals supported under the NRSA program. The NIH is not in a
position to advise students or institutions about their tax liability.
In any event, the taxability of stipends in no way affects the
relationship between NRSA trainees and institutions.  NRSA stipends are
not now, and never have been, salaries.  Trainees supported under the
NRSA are not in an employer-employee relationship with the NIH or the
institution at which they are pursuing research training.

Institutional costs of $125 per month per trainee may be requested to
defray the cost of training related expenses.

Indirect costs based on eight percent of total NIH allowable direct
costs, or actual indirect costs, whichever is less, may be requested.
Applications from state and local government agencies may request full
indirect cost reimbursement based upon the NIH allowable direct costs
awarded.

Payback Provisions

All recipients of NRSA support must sign an agreement that they will
fulfill payback requirements.  They must agree to engage in biomedical
or health-related behavioral research and/or teaching for a period
equal to any period of cumulative NRSA support in excess of 12 months.
In calculating payback indebtedness, the period of support from these
short-term training programs will be added to any subsequent periods of
support from NRSA programs such as institutional training programs
(T32) or individual postdoctoral fellowships (F32, F33, F35).

Trainees must undertake the obligated service on a continuous basis
within two years after termination of support.  Individuals who fail to
fulfill the obligation through service must pay back the total amount
of funds paid to the individual for the obligation period plus interest
at a rate determined by the Secretary of the Treasury.  Financial
payback must be completed within three years of the date the United
States becomes entitled to recover such amount.

Under certain conditions, the Secretary of Health and Human Services
may extend the period for starting service or for repayment, permit
breaks in the period of service or repayment, or otherwise waive or
suspend the payback obligation of an individual.

Officials of the applicant organization responsible for recruitment of
trainees should familiarize themselves with the terms of the payback
service requirement and explain them carefully to prospective trainees
before an appointment to the training grant is offered.

For additional information, including the grounds for approving
extensions of support and payback provisions, refer to the announcement
in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, "National Research Service
Awards - Guidelines for Individual Awards - Institutional Grants,"
Special Edition, Volume 13, No. 1, January 6, 1984.

LETTER OF INTENT

Prospective applicants are asked to submit, by August 10, 1993, a
letter of intent that includes a descriptive title of the proposed
research training program, the name, address, and telephone number of
the Program Director, the identities of other key personnel and
participating institutions, and the number and title of the RFA in
response to which the application may be submitted.

Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does
not enter into the review of subsequent applications, the information
that it contains is helpful in planning for the review of applications.
It allows NIDR staff to estimate the potential review workload and to
avoid conflict of interest in the review.

The letter of intent is to be sent to Dr.Thomas M. Valega at this
address listed under INQUIRIES.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

It is strongly recommended that prospective applicants contact Dr.
Valega early in the planning phase of application preparation.  Such
contact may help ensure that applications are responsive to this RFA.

Applications must be submitted on form PHS 398 (rev. 9/91). Application
forms are available at most institutional office of sponsored research;
from the Office of Grants Inquiries, Division of Research Grants,
National Institutes of Health, 5333 Westbard Avenue, Room 449,
Bethesda, MD 20892, telephone (301) 710-0267, and from the NIDR program
administrator listed under INQUIRIES.

To identify the application as a response to this RFA, check "yes" on
item 2a of page AA of the application and enter "RFA: DE-93-005,
SHORT-TERM TRAINING FOR MINORITY AND WOMEN DENTAL STUDENTS."  The RFA
label available in the application form PHS 398 must be affixed to the
bottom of the face page.  Failure to use this label could result in
delayed processing of the application such that it may not reach the
review committee in
time for review.

Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the
Checklist, and three signed, photocopies, in one package to:

Division of Research Grants
National Institutes of Health
Westwood Building, Room 240
Bethesda, MD  20892-4500**

At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application
must also be sent to:

H. George Hausch, Ph.D.
Scientific Review Section
National Institute of Dental Research
Westwood Building, Room 519
Bethesda, MD  20892
Telephone:  (301) 594-7632

This RFA is for a single competition.  Applications must be received by
September 10, 1993.  If an application is received after that date or
deemed non-responsive to the RFA, it will be returned to the applicant
without review.

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by
the NIDR Special Grants Review Committee, a standing NIH initial review
group.  Applicant interviews or site visits may be involved.

The following review criteria will be applied:

o  Procedures for recruiting women and individuals from minority
groups:  a plan must be included for the recruitment of these
individuals.  No awards will be made to applications lacking this
component.

o  Procedure for the selection of trainees:  availability of high
quality candidates; how the candidates will be selected; how the
trainees are assigned to preceptors.

o  The proposed research training and program design; the manner in
which individual guided research activities will be selected;
procedures for monitoring trainee progress; the existence of a true
training program, as contrasted with fellowship training for an
individual trainee; the appropriateness of the proposed number of
trainees; the unique and/or innovative nature of the training program;
resources and facilities.

o  The qualifications of the program director and participating faculty
including the roles of specific preceptors, their time commitment,
ability to compete successfully for research support, current and
pending research grant holdings and experience in graduate research
training.

o  Training environment:  institutional commitment, the quality of the
facilities, and the availability of research support; level of ongoing
fundamental and clinical research activity; availability of equipment,
facilities, and clinical resources.

o  The funding commitment from the institution to provide room and
board and from private sources to provide funds for trainee travel to
the institutional training site.

o  The methods by which the trainees will be exposed to career path
options in oral health research.

o  The methods by which the program director will track the career
paths of the trainees supported by this training grant.

Secondary review will be by the National Advisory Dental
Research Council.

Review and Award Schedule

Applications will be processed according to the following schedule:

Application Receipt Date:      Sep 10, 1993
Initial Review Group Meeting:  Feb/Mar 1994
Council Meeting:               May/Jun 1994
Earliest Award Date:           Sep 1, 1994

AWARD CRITERIA

The earliest award date will be September 1, 1994.

The NIDR will notify the applicant of the Council's action shortly
after its meeting.  Funding decisions will be made based on the Special
Grants Review Committee and Council recommendations, and the
availability of funds.

INQUIRIES

Written and telephone inquiries concerning this RFA are encouraged.
The opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential
applicants is welcome.

Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to:

Thomas M. Valega, Ph.D.
Special Assistant for Manpower Development and Training
National Institute of Dental Research
Westwood Building, Room 503
Bethesda, MD  20892
Telephone:  (301) 594-7617
FAX:  (301) 594-7616

Direct inquiries pertaining to fiscal and policy matters to:

Theresa Ringler
Extramural Program
National Institute of Dental Research
Westwood Building, Room 510
Bethesda, MD  20892
Telephone:  (301) 594-7629

Copies of the NIDR Long-Range Research Plan for the Nineties,
"Broadening the Scope," are available by a written request to NIDR,
P.O. Box 54793, Washington, DC 20032

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

NRSA Institutional Research Training Grants are made under the
authority of Section 487 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act as
amended (42 USC 288), Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part
66, is applicable to this program.  This program is also described in
the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.121. This program is
not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive
Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review.

.

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