Key Dates

Related Announcements

• April 25, 2024 - Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (Parent K24 Independent Clinical Trial Required) See PA-24-187. 
• April 25, 2024 - Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (Parent K24 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) See PA-24-188. 
• April 24, 2024-Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Parent K01 - Independent Clinical Trial Required) See PA-24-175. 
• April 24, 2024-Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Parent K01 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) See PA-24-176. 
• April 24, 2024-Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Parent K08 – Independent Clinical Trial Required) See PA-24-181. 
• April 24, 2024- Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Parent K08 – Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) See PA-24-182. 
• April 24, 2024-NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/R00 – Independent Clinical Trial Required) See PA-24-193. 
• April 24, 2024-NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/R00 – Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) See PA-24-194. 
• April 9, 2024-Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Parent K23 – Independent Clinical Trial Required) See PA-24-184. 
• April 9, 2024-Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Parent K23 – Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) See PA-24-185. 
• August 17, 2021-Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity (K99/R00 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) See PAR-21-271. 
• August 17, 2021 -Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity (K99/R00 - Independent Clinical Trial Required) See PAR-21-272.

Issued by

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

Purpose

The purpose of this Notice is to announce a change in the minimum effort requirement for surgeons and clinicians in procedure-intensive specialties on individual mentored K awards funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD).

Background

Surgeon-scientists and clinicians in procedure-intensive specialties are an important part of the academic healthcare workforce for populations experiencing health disparities. However, surgeons and clinicians in procedure-intensive specialties applying for career development awards may find standard NIH minimum effort requirements challenging due to the need for adequate operative case volume to maintain clinical competency skills.

NIMHD Guidance

With this Notice, NIMHD will now allow surgeons and clinicians in procedure-intensive specialties to devote less than nine person months of effort (i.e., 75% of full-time professional effort), but no less than six person months of effort (i.e., 50% of full-time professional effort), in all years of the award for the purpose of maintaining clinical competency. This effort requirement includes both research and career development activities. This policy applies to all NIMHD-supported independent mentored K mechanisms, including K01, K08, K23, K24, K99 and K99 Mosaic. For the purposes of this policy, a surgeon is a physician who is clinically active in one of the 14 surgical subspecialties recognized by the American College of Surgeons. Clinicians in procedure-intensive specialties include but are not limited to specialties such as: interventional cardiology, interventional radiology, gastroenterology, interventional radiology, etc. Applicants proposing to reduce their effort below nine person months of effort must provide adequate justification for such reduction based on the specific purpose of maintaining specialty procedural competency skills.

This policy is effective immediately and applies to surgeons and clinicians in procedure-intensive specialties who are submitting new or resubmission applications to NIMHD as well as to surgeons and clinicians in procedure-intensive specialties with current or pending NIMHD awards.

New or resubmitting applicants should provide justification of the need to reduce research effort in the budget justification section of the application. Peer reviewers will evaluate the adequacy of effort to achieve the proposed aims. NIMHD program and grants management staff will also evaluate the proposed effort during work up of any award.

Current and pending eligible awardees proposing to reduce their effort should contact their program official to discuss eligibility. If confirmed, awardees should submit the following documents to NIMHD program and grants management staff through their Authorized Organizational Representative:

• An official request letter referencing this Notice, NOT-MD-24-017, that includes a justification of the need to reduce research effort and a description of measures that will be taken to ensure successful completion of the original project aims and career development activities,
• Updated budget and budget justification.

Program and grants management staff will review submitted documents and notify grantees about the outcome.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Dorothy Castille, Ph.D.
NIMHD Training Coordinator
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Email: NIMHDTraining@mail.nih.gov