NOT-OD-16-118: Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Health Disparities Research (LRP-HDR)

Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Health Disparities Research (LRP-HDR)

Notice Number: NOT-OD-16-118

Key Dates
Release Date: July 5, 2016
Application Period: Annually from September 1 through November 15, at 8:00 PM EST

Related Announcements
August 25, 2016 - This Notice has been rescinded and replaced. See Notice NOT-OD-16-141.
NOT-MD-16-010
NOT-OD-15-123
NOT-OD-16-115
NOT-OD-16-116
NOT-OD-16-117
NOT-OD-16-119

Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Purpose

This Notice replaces NOT-OD-15-123 and provides program specific information for Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Health Disparities Research (LRP-HDR). The NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) are a set of programs established by Congress and designed to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers. Additional detailed information about each LRP is provided at www.lrp.nih.gov/about_the_programs/index.aspx and www.lrp.nih.gov/apply.

The NIH invites qualified health professionals who contractually agree to engage in NIH mission-relevant research for at least two years initially, and who agree to engage in such research for an average of at least 20 hours per week based on a 40-hour work week, to apply for an award in the Extramural LRPs. The Extramural LRPs repay up to $35,000 annually of a researcher's qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in NIH mission-relevant research at a domestic, nonprofit, or government entity. Research funding from NIH is not required to participate in the Extramural LRPs. LRP awards are based on an applicant's potential to build and sustain a research career.

Extramural LRP applications are accepted annually from September 1 through November 15, 8:00 p.m. EST. All LRP applications must be submitted electronically using the NIH LRP Website, www.lrp.nih.gov.

LRP-HDR Objective

The objective of the LRP-HDR is to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into research careers that focus on minority health disparities or other health disparities.

The Program serves as an avenue for NIH and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) to engage and promote the development of research and research programs that reflect the variety of issues and problems associated with disparities in health status. This requirement highlights the need for the involvement of a cadre of culturally competent health professionals in minority health disparities and other health disparities research. Research focused on diseases or conditions more prevalent or associated with greater morbidity/mortality in one or more minority health disparity or other health disparity population, without the proposed work itself being focused on improving minority health disparities or other health disparities, is not considered health disparities research.

Health Disparity Populations are determined by the Director of NIMHD, after consultation with the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and are defined as populations where there is significant disparity in the overall rate of disease incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality, or survival rates in the population as compared to the health status of the general population. The following populations have been designated as health disparity populations: Blacks/African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, and rural populations.

Health Disparities Research means basic, clinical, social, or behavioral research on health disparity populations (including individual members and communities of such populations) that relates to health disparities, including the causes of such disparities and methods to prevent, diagnose, and treat such disparities.

Minority Health Disparities Research is defined as basic, clinical, or behavioral research on minority health conditions, including research to prevent, diagnose, and treat such conditions.

Minority Health Conditions means all diseases, disorders, and other conditions (including mental health and substance abuse) that are unique to, more serious, or more prevalent in members of minority groups (racial or ethnic minority groups), for which the medical risk or types of medical intervention may be different for members of minority groups, or for which it is unknown whether such factors or types are different for such individuals, or research involving such populations as subjects or data on such individuals is insufficient.

Changes in LRP Application

The following items are new for the application period that begins on September 1, 2016.

All applicants are required to have an NIH eRA Commons ID to submit an LRP application.
All online application, colleague, and institutional support documents must be submitted by the same deadline: November 15, 2016.
Document length is bound by page limits in lieu of character limits to be consistent with NIH practices.
Applicants are now responsible for submitting most supporting documents for which Research Supervisors or Mentors only provide assurance on the information provided in these documents (see Annual Receipt, Peer Review, and Review Schedule).
Applicants with a previous LRP award have a thirty-seven month period, starting the day after the end of the applicant's most recent LRP award, to successfully receive and complete a renewal award. After the end of this thirty-seven month period, any LRP application submitted by the same individual will be accepted as an application for a new award (see Renewal Award Applications).

Eligible Applicants

No applicant will be excluded from consideration on the basis of age, race, culture, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or other non-merit factors.

Eligibility criteria to participate in the Extramural LRPs include the following:

Applicants must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent resident of the U.S.
Applicants for LRP-HDR must possess an M.D., Ph.D., Pharm. D., Psy.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.M.D., D.P.M., D.C., N.D., O.D., D.V.M., or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited institution.
Applicants must have total qualifying educational debt equal to or in excess of 20 percent of their institutional base salary at the time of award. Institutional base salary is the annual amount the organization pays for the individual's appointment, whether the time is spent on research, teaching, patient care, or other activities. Institutional base salary excludes any income that an applicant may earn outside of the duties of the organization. This criterion is not applicable to applicants for a renewal award.
Applicants must be employed by and conduct qualifying research (as defined above) supported by a domestic nonprofit foundation (e.g., universities), professional association, or other nonprofit institution, or a U.S. government agency (Federal, State, or local). A domestic foundation, professional association, or institution is considered to be nonprofit if exempt from Federal tax under the provisions of Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. 501). NIH grants and university salaries are considered eligible funding.
Part-time federal employees (4/8ths or less) who are (a) not conducting research as a Federal employee, and (b) whose funding source is from a domestic nonprofit source, are eligible to apply for loan repayment if they meet all other eligibility requirements.
Applicants must agree to conduct only research that is not prohibited by Federal law, regulations, or policies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or NIH. Applicants who receive LRP awards must conduct their research in accordance with applicable Federal, State and local law (e.g., applicable human subject protection regulations) for the entire award period. Additionally, awardees must engage in qualified research for an average of at least 20 hours per week during each quarterly service period of the LRP award.
No individual may submit more than one LRP application to the NIH in any fiscal year. Individuals who have applied previously for the LRP, but did not receive an award, are eligible to submit an application for a new award if they meet all of the above eligibility criteria.
Recipients of a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) support from an individual postdoctoral fellowship (F32) or an institutional research training grant (T32) are eligible for loan repayment. There is a NRSA service payback period during the second year of NRSA support and concurrent fulfillment of LRP and NRSA service obligations is prohibited. Therefore, NRSA recipients must be granted a formal extension of the NRSA service payback (see http://grants1.nih.gov/training/payback.htm) in order to be eligible for LRP participation during their second year of NRSA support.

The following individuals are ineligible for participation in the Extramural LRPs:

Persons who are not U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents.
Any individual who has or had a federal judgment lien against his/her property arising from a federal debt is barred from receiving federal funds even if the judgment is paid in full or satisfied.
Any individual who owes an obligation of health professional service to the federal government, a State, or other entity, unless deferrals or extensions are granted for the length of their Extramural LRP service obligation. The following list provides examples of programs with service obligations that disqualify an LRP applicant from consideration, unless a deferral for the length of the LRP award is obtained:
- Armed Forces (Army, Navy, or Air Force) Professions Scholarship Program
- Exceptional Financial Need (EFN) Scholarship Program
- Financial Assistance for Disadvantaged Health Professions Students (FADHPS)
- Indian Health Service (IHS) Scholarship Program
- National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship Program
- National Institutes of Health Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP)
- Physicians Shortage Area Scholarship Program
- Primary Care Loan (PCL) Program
- Public Health Service (PHS) Scholarship Program
- National Research Service Award (NRSA) Program
Individuals who are employed by the federal government with work schedules of more than 20 hours per week.
Individuals who receive any research funding support or salary from a for-profit institution or organization. This is interpreted to mean that any salary from any for-profit institution is not allowable.
Individuals employed by an institution located outside the United States.
Current recipients of NIH Intramural Research Training Awards (IRTA) or Cancer Research Training (CRTA).
Individuals conducting research for which funding is precluded by federal law, regulations or HHS/NIH policy, or that does not comply with applicable federal, state, and local law regarding the conduct of the research (e.g., applicable human subject protection regulations).

Funds Available

The NIH intends to commit approximately $6.7 million annually to fund LRP-HDR awards.

Where to Obtain Additional Information: Please visit the LRP website at www.lrp.nih.gov, send an email to lrp@nih.gov, or call the Division of Loan Repayment Information Center toll free at (866) 849-4047. Applicants are strongly encouraged to pay attention to Institute or Center (IC) specific funding priorities, and also to discuss their career interests with an IC scientific liaison: www.lrp.nih.gov/contact-engage#ContactEngageContactListsTile.

Annual Receipt, Peer Review, and Review Schedule: Upon receipt, applications for both new and renewal awards will be reviewed for eligibility and completeness. Incomplete or ineligible applications will not be considered. Applications that are complete and eligible will be forwarded for peer review.

Annual Application Receipt Period: September 1 through November 15, 8:00 p.m. EST
Annual Peer Review Period: February May
Annual Anticipated Award Period: July September
Application Materials: The following information is furnished by applicants or others on behalf of applicants (forms are submitted electronically using the LRP Website: www.lrp.nih.gov), and must be submitted annually from September 1 through November 15, 8:00 p.m. EST.

Applicants electronically transmit the following to the NIH Division of Loan Repayment:

Applicant information
Applicant's NIH Biosketch
Personal statement, which includes a discussion of career goals and academic objectives
Funding Information: source of applicant's research funding
Citizenship Verification
Description of Research Activities, which describes the current or proposed research project including the specific responsibilities and role of the applicant in conducting the research.
Description of Research Environment, which provides detailed information about the lab where the applicant is or will be conducting research including funding, lab space, and major areas under investigation
Career Development Plan (if applicant is an independent researcher) or Training/Mentoring Plan (if applicant is a mentored research scientist), which includes a detailed discussion of the training or mentoring plan, including a discussion of the research methods and scientific techniques to be learned
Identification of three referees/recommenders (one of whom is identified as the applicant's research supervisor or mentor)
Identification of an Institutional Business Official
For New Award Applicants: Loan information obtained from lending institution(s), including current account statement(s), and promissory note(s) or disclosure statement(s)
For Renewal Award Applicants: Description of Research Accomplishments and updated loan payoff amounts

Research supervisors or mentors electronically transmit the following to the NIH Division of Loan Repayment:

Reference Letter
Supervisor or Mentor's NIH Biosketch
An additional NIH Biosketch (optional) if there is another laboratory staff member involved in the applicant's mentoring program
Concurrence with Research Forms submitted by the Applicant (Research Activities, Research Environment, and Training/Mentoring Plan)
For Renewal Award Applicants: Concurrence with Applicant's Description of Research Accomplishments

Referees/Recommenders electronically transmit reference letters to the NIH Division of Loan Repayment.

Information is obtained from individuals, including the applicants' research supervisor or most recent mentor, who can comment on the research skills and the abilities of the applicant. Reference letters are expected to include the following information about the applicant:

Previous training and experience to prepare for a research career
Commitment to a career in research
Potential for a successful career in research
Research related strengths and weaknesses
Overall recommendation

Institutional Business Officials electronically transmit a certification to the NIH Division of Loan Repayment that:

Assures the applicant will be provided the necessary time and resources to engage in the research project for the period of the Loan Repayment Program award (two years for a new award and one or two years for a renewal award).
Assures the applicant is or will be engaged in research for an average of 20 hours per week (a total of 240 hours during a 12-week quarter or a total of 260 hours during a 13-week quarter)
Certifies the sponsoring entity is a domestic nonprofit institution (exempt from tax under 26 USC 501).
Confirms the applicant's institutional base salary

Renewal Award Applications

Loan repayment awardees who wish to extend their loan repayment should apply for a renewal award no earlier than the year before their current award ends. LRP renewal awards are available for one- or two-year periods and are based upon the same criteria applied to an application for a new award plus two additional criteria an assessment of research accomplishments and development of the applicant as an independent investigator. An explanation of research accomplishments during the most recent award period is required. Progress toward development as an independent investigator is a major factor in granting a renewal award. NIH policy allows a thirty-seven month period (starting the day after the last day of the most recent LRP award) for a renewal award application. After thirty-seven months, NIH views a submission of any application as an application for a new award, regardless of whether an unsuccessful application was submitted during the thirty-seven month period. Renewal awards are competitive and submission of an application for a renewal award does not assure the applicant of a renewal award.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications for the Extramural LRP are evaluated against the following criteria as related to the likelihood that the applicant will continue in a career focused on research in one of the following program areas:

Applicant's potential to pursue a career in research, including:

Appropriateness of the applicant's previous training and experience to prepare for a research career;
Appropriateness of the proposed research activities during the LRP award period to foster a career in research;
Commitment to a research career, as reflected by the personal statement of long-term career goals and plan to achieve those goals; and
Strength of the reference letters (recommendations) attesting to the applicant's potential for a successful career in research.

Quality of the overall environment to prepare the applicant for a research career, including:

Quality and availability of appropriate scientific mentors and colleagues to help achieve or enhance the applicant's research independence, including the mentors' record in mentoring researchers, funding history and research productivity; and
Quality and appropriateness of institutional resources and facilities.

For renewal award applications, progress under the previous project period is an additional evaluation criterion:

Assessment of the renewal applicant's research accomplishments during the previous LRP support period; and
Assessment of the renewal applicant's development as an independent investigator.

Program Administration Details

Under the LRP, the NIH will repay a portion of the extant qualified educational loan debt incurred to pay for the researcher's undergraduate, graduate, and/or health professional school educational expenses. Failure to fulfill the terms of the LRP contract will result in termination of the LRP award and could be considered a breach of contract. The penalty for a breach of contract is $7,500 for every month of unfulfilled service or $31,000, whichever is higher.

LRP service obligation and NRSA service payback cannot overlap, and permission to defer NRSA payback must be obtained prior to receipt of LRP funding.

The NIH will repay lenders for the extant principal, interest, and related expenses (such as the required insurance premiums on the unpaid balances of some loans) of educational loans from a U.S. government entity, academic institution, or a commercial or other chartered U.S. lending institution, such as banks, credit unions, savings and loan associations, not-for-profit organizations, insurance companies, and other financial or credit institutions which are subject to examination and supervision in their capacity as lending institutions by an agency of the United States or of the State in which the lender has its principal place of business, obtained by applicants for the following:

Undergraduate, graduate, and health professional school tuition expenses.
Other reasonable educational expenses required by the school(s) attended, including fees, books, supplies, educational equipment and materials, and laboratory expenses.
Reasonable living expenses, including the cost of room and board, transportation and commuting costs, and other living expenses as determined by the Secretary.

Repayments are made directly to lenders, following receipt of (1) the Principal Investigator, Program Director, or Research Supervisor's verification of completion of the prior period of research, and (2) lender verification of the crediting of prior loan repayments, including the resulting account balances and current account status. The NIH will repay loans in the following order, unless the Secretary determines that significant savings would result from a different order of priority:

1. Loans guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

Health Education Assistance Loan (HEAL)
Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL)
Loans for Disadvantaged Students (LDS)
Nursing Student Loan Program (NSL)

2. Loans guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education:

Direct Loans (Stafford, Consolidation, Perkins)
Federal Family Education Loans (Stafford, Consolidation)
PLUS Loans disbursed to graduate and professional students on or after July 1, 2006. Note: PLUS loans to parents do not qualify

3. Loans made or guaranteed by a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory or possession of the United States

4. Loans made by academic institutions

5. Private (Alternative) Educational Loans:

MEDLOANS
Private (non-guaranteed) Consolidation Loans

The following loans are NOT repayable under this program:

1. Loans not obtained from a U.S. or other government entity, academic institution, or a commercial or other chartered U.S. lending institution such as loans from friends, relatives, or other individuals, and non-educational loans (e.g., home equity loans).

2. Loans for which eligibility documentation (current account statement, and promissory note or lender disclosure statement) is not provided.

3. Consolidation loans that include a loan not eligible for repayment, such as: loans obtained from an unqualified lender, loans obtained by the applicant for an individual other than the applicant (e.g., spouse or child), loans obtained by an individual other than the applicant (e.g., spouse or parent), or non-educational loans (e.g., home equity loan).

4. Loans or portions of loans obtained for educational or living expenses which exceed a reasonable level as determined by the standard school budget for the year in which the loan was made.

5. Loans, financial debts, or service obligations incurred under a program where an incurred service obligation converts to a loan upon failure to satisfy the service obligation.

6. Loans that are delinquent, in default, or not current in their payment schedule.

7. Parent PLUS loans.

8. Loans that are paid-in-full.

9. Loans obtained after the start date of the first NIH Loan Repayment Program award (e.g., promissory note signed after the start date of an LRP award). This provision does not apply to qualifying loan consolidations.

Before the commencement of loan repayment, or during lapses in loan repayments, due to administrative complications, Leave Without Pay (LWOP), or a break in service, LRP awardees are wholly responsible for making payments or other arrangements that maintain loans current, such that increases in either principal or interest do not occur. Penalties and/or fees assessed to awardees failing to maintain current payment status may not be considered for reimbursement.

LRP payments are NOT retroactive. Loan repayment will commence after a loan repayment award begins, expected to be no earlier than July through September annually.

Required Federal Citations

Awards are made pursuant to the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-525), which added Section 464z-5 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285t-2).

Inquiries

Additional detailed information about the NIH Loan Repayment Programs is provided at www.lrp.nih.gov/about_the_programs/index.aspx. Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss their career interests with the NIMHD scientific liaison, whose contact information is provided on this web page: www.lrp.nih.gov/contact-engage#ContactEngageContactListsTile.