NIMH POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH TRAINING IN INTERVENTION TRIALS Release Date: March 11, 1999 PA NUMBER: PA-99-072 P.T. National Institute of Mental Health Application Receipt Date: May 10 PURPOSE The National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) invites applications for National Research Service Award (NRSA) (T32) programs of postdoctoral research training in the design and conduct of clinical intervention trials that focus on the treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of severe mental disorders. The purpose of this program announcement (PA) is to develop a cadre of clinically trained researchers committed to designing and implementing treatment studies that utilize a public health model. 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 PA, NIMH Postdoctoral Research Training In Intervention Trials, is related to the priority area of mental health and mental disorders. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2000" at http://www.crisny.org/health/us/health7.html ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Only domestic, non-profit, private or public institutions may apply for grants to support research training programs. Applications will be accepted from schools of public health, universities and research institutions. The applicant institution must have a strong research program in the area(s) proposed for research training and must have the requisite staff and facilities to carry out the proposed program. The research training program director at the institution will be responsible for the selection and appointment of trainees to receive NRSA support and for the overall direction of the program. Positions on NRSA institutional grants may not be used for study leading to the M.D., D.D.S., or other clinical, health-professional degrees except when those studies are a part of a formal combined research degree program, such as the M.D./Ph.D. Similarly, trainees may not accept NRSA support for studies which are part of residency training leading to certification in a medical or dental specialty or subspecialty, except when the residency program credits a period of full-time, postdoctoral research training toward board certification and the trainee intends to pursue a research career. Trainees are required to pursue their research training on a full-time basis, devoting at least 40 hours per week to the program. Within the 40 hours per week training period, research trainees in clinical areas must devote their time to the proposed research training and must confine clinical duties to those that are an integral part of the research training experience. Postdoctoral Trainees. Postdoctoral trainees must have received, as of the beginning date of the NRSA appointment, a Ph.D., M.D. or comparable doctoral degree from an accredited domestic or foreign institution. Eligible doctoral degrees include, but are not limited to, the following: D.D.S., D.M.D., D.O., D.V.M., O.D., D.P.M., Sc.D., Eng.D., Dr. P.H., D.N.Sc., D. Pharm., D.S.W., and Psy.D. Documentation by an authorized official of the degree-granting institution certifying all degree requirements have been met prior to the beginning date of training is acceptable. The trainees appointed under this training program must hold a clinical doctoral degree (e.g., M.D., D.D.S., Ph.D. in a clinical discipline, or comparable doctoral degree) from an accredited domestic or foreign institution and have completed postgraduate clinical training with special emphasis in one or more areas relevant to the treatment of mental disorders. This would include, but not be limited to, the clinical disciplines of psychiatry, psychology, neurology, radiology, rehabilitative medicine, pharmacy and nursing. Citizenship. To be appointed to a training position supported by an NRSA research training grant, an individual must be a citizen or noncitizen national of the United States or must have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., in possession of a currently valid Alien Registration Receipt Card I-551, or must be in possession of other legal verification of such status). Noncitizen nationals are generally persons born in outlying possessions of the United States (e.g., American Samoa and Swains Island). Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible. MECHANISM OF SUPPORT The support mechanism for grants made in response to this PA will be the NIH Institutional National Research Service Award (NRSA) (T32), often referred to as the institutional training grant. The provisions of this mechanism are detailed in the NIH-wide announcement for NRSA Institutional Research Training Grants (T32), published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, May 16, 1997 and available at: (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not97-007.html) and apply to this initiative, except as noted in this PA. The annual single receipt date for this PA is May 10, and only postdoctoral level training is supported under this PA. Institutional NRSA research training grants may be made for periods up to 5 years and are renewable. Awards within an approved competitive segment are normally made in 12-month increments with support for additional years based on satisfactory progress and the continued availability of funds. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES Background The need to increase the number of outstanding clinical investigators in the United States capable of transferring scientific knowledge from the laboratory to the clinic has been underscored by several National Institutes of Health (NIH) advisory groups and in recent reports from the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. The lack of adequate numbers of clinically trained researchers who can design, conduct, and interpret research findings from large scale, public health model treatment intervention trials for mental disorders, is the rate limiting factor in developing a national trials network which can respond rapidly to new knowledge emerging from basic research on the human brain. This PA is one of several NIMH planned initiatives to address this need. The objective of this program is to train clinical investigators in the basic development, conduct and interpretation of intervention trials research in order that they may function effectively as members of clinical trials teams/ networks. It is anticipated that a high percentage of trainees will be encouraged to pursue further specialized training in mental health treatment interventions research via individual research career development grants (K mechanisms) and eventually develop the experience and expertise necessary to direct single- and multi-center cooperative intervention trials of the effectiveness of treatments for the mentally ill. The emphasis of this postdoctoral research training program is on the training of clinical investigators in the basics of a public health approach to interventions research. In a public health model, exclusion criteria are minimal (and based only on concerns for safety). Age, gender, and comorbidity are no longer the basis for exclusion, but rather present important dimensions to assure sample representativeness and clinical generalizability. Outcomes are broadly construed, to include performance, relationships (family, interpersonal etc.), function, disability, quality of life, morbidity, mortality, institutionalization, and health care resource use. Settings are widely selected from a full range of academic and nonacademic institutions, specialty and primary care, public and private facilities. Sample sizes are sufficiently large as to assure adequate power. NIMH has adopted a public health model to accelerate the development and widespread application of treatments for major mental disorders. Small, elegant, tightly controlled treatment studies should be seen as the beginning of the intervention research process and not the end. Treatment itself is defined broadly, encompassing the full range of pharmacotherapy, other somatic interventions, psychotherapy and other psychosocial approaches. Moreover, this inclusive concept of intervention studies extends to research on rehabilitative interventions and preventive interventions, including prevention of relapse and recurrence. Training programs may be designed to be general or specific. Appropriate specific foci include: specific disorders (schizophrenia); ages (child, adolescent, adult, geriatric) or populations (ethnic minorities, women's health). The training program will provide each trainee with a minimum of two years of full-time postdoctoral research training, including didactic instruction, mentoring, and supervised research experience in the conduct of an intervention trial or trials. Plans must be presented for each trainee to be guided by a qualified preceptorial team experienced in the conduct of clinical trials; a major focus of the plan must be on teaching about and assuring trainee participation in multi-site trials and community mental health. Plans must also be presented for the way in which individual trainee needs and goals will be developed and implemented. Plans for ongoing program evaluation and mechanisms to improve course content, mentoring and supervised research experiences should be included. Trainees may spend up to three months of a 12- month appointment in a consortium arrangement at another institution to gain specific methodological skills provided that there is adequate documentation of rational, plan, mentoring and evaluation. Training programs designed as consortia may develop clinical training rotations which exceed the three month limit, as long as these rotations are clearly described in their plans and integral to the program. Such arrangements must be clearly identified in the application and conform to all trainee requirements stated in the NRSA Guidelines. The training program should include, but not be limited to, instruction in the following areas: (1) clinical trials design and conduct; (2) multi-site trials; (3) biostatistics; (4) data management and analysis; (5) epidemiology; (6) experimental therapeutics; (7) reporting results of controlled clinical trials; (8) bioethics and the responsible conduct of research, with emphasis on clinical trials; (9) preparation for individual career development research grants or independent research grants; (10) the recruitment and retention of subjects (particularly special populations); (11) patient outcome and quality of care measures; (12) compliance; (13) factors that affect health, illness and treatment outcome such as socioeconomic and psychosocial variables; methods of data collection (e.g., patient recall, interacting with patients); (14) interpreting data and coming to clear conclusions; (15) the public health role of patient oriented researchers and the set of responsibilities this involves (e.g., developing good health research communication skills) and (16) the use of biotechnology, broadly defined, in the conduct of clinical trials. Trainees should have at least one course/seminar series that develops their skill in transnational research. Overall, since the orientation of the training program is on public health, as part of their training experience, trainees should be introduced to a full range of academic and nonacademic treatment settings. Trainee appointments are normally made in 12-month increments. No trainee may be appointed for less than 9 months during the initial period of appointment, except with the prior approval of the NIH awarding unit or when health- professional students are appointed to approved, short-term research training positions. No individual trainee may receive more than 3 years of aggregate NRSA postdoctoral level support including any combination of support from institutional training grants and individual fellowship awards. Any extension of the total duration of trainee support requires approval by the Director of the NIMH. Requests for extension must be made in writing by the trainee, endorsed by the Director of the training program and the appropriate institutional official, and addressed to the Director of the NIMH awarding component. The request must include a sound justification for an extension of the statutory limits on the period of support. Special Program Considerations The primary objective of the NRSA program is to prepare qualified individuals for careers that significantly impact the Nation's research agenda. Within the framework of the program's longstanding commitment to excellence and projected need for investigators in particular areas of research, attention must be given to recruiting individuals from minority groups underrepresented nationally in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. The following groups have been identified as underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research nationally: African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, and Pacific Islanders. Use of the term "minority" in this announcement will refer to these groups. Other considerations relate to the duration of training and the transition of trainees to individual support mechanisms. Studies have shown that the length of the appointment to a training grant for postdoctoral trainees with health- professional degrees strongly correlates with subsequent application for and receipt of independent NIH research support. Program directors, therefore, should limit appointments to individuals who are committed to a career in research and plan to remain on the training grant or in some other type of research experience for a minimum of 2 years. It has also been shown that individuals who have been supported by an individual postdoctoral fellowship are more likely to subsequently apply for and receive NIH research support than are individuals who have received support only from a research training grant. Therefore, program directors should encourage trainees to apply for individual postdoctoral fellowships or mentored career development awards (K awards). During the review of training grants applications, peer reviewers will examine the training record to determine the average duration of training appointments for health-professional postdoctoral trainees and whether there is a record of transition to individual support mechanisms. Trainee Reporting Requirements The institution must submit a completed Statement of Appointment (PHS Form 2271) for each trainee appointed or reappointed to the training grant at the beginning of the appointment period. Additionally, a completed Payback Agreement (PHS Form 6031) must be submitted for each trainee in their first twelve months of postdoctoral support. Within 30 days of the end of the total support period for each trainee, the institution must submit a Termination Notice (PHS Form 416-7). Failure to submit the required forms in a timely manner may result in an expenditure disallowance or a delay in any continuation funding for the award. Leave - In general, trainees may receive stipends during periods of vacation and holidays observed by individuals in comparable training positions at the grantee institution. For the purpose of these awards, however, the period between the spring and fall semesters is considered to be an active time of research and research training and is not considered to be a vacation or holiday. Trainees may receive stipends for up to 15 calendar days of sick leave per year. Sick leave may be used for the medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth pursuant to the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (42 USC 2000 e(k)). Trainees may also receive stipends for up to 30 calendar days of parental leave per year for the adoption or the birth of a child when those in comparable training positions at the grantee institution have access to paid leave for this purpose and the use of parental leave is approved by the program director. A period of terminal leave is not permitted and payment may not be made from grant funds for leave not taken. Individuals requiring periods of time away from their research training experience longer than specified here must seek approval from the NIH awarding component for an unpaid leave of absence. At the beginning of a leave of absence, the trainee must submit a Termination Notice (PHS Form 416-7) and upon return from the leave of absence, the trainee must be formally reappointed to the grant by submitting an updated Statement of Appointment (PHS Form 2271). Trainees within the first twelve months of postdoctoral support must also submit a Payback Agreement (PHS Form 6031) upon return from a leave of absence. Stipends National Research Service Awards provide funds, in the form of stipends, to postdoctoral trainees. A stipend is provided as a subsistence allowance to help trainees defray living expenses during the research training experience. It is not provided as a condition of employment with either the Federal Government or the awardee institution. Stipends must be paid to all trainees at the levels approved by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Postdoctoral Trainees. The current annual stipend for postdoctoral trainees is determined by the number of FULL years of relevant postdoctoral experience at the time of appointment. Relevant experience may include research experience (including industrial), teaching, internship, residency, clinical duties, or other time spent in full-time studies in a health-related field following the date of the qualifying doctoral degree. Current postdoctoral stipend levels effective for FY99 stipends are as follows: Years of Relevant Experience Annual Amount less than 1 $26,256 greater than or equal to 1 but less than 2 27,720 greater than or equal to 2 but less than 3 32,700 greater than or equal to 3 but less than 4 34,368 greater than or equal to 4 but less than 5 36,036 greater than or equal to 5 but less than 6 37,680 greater than or equal to 6 but less than 7 39,348 greater than or equal to 7 41,268 No departure from the established stipend schedule may be negotiated by the institution with the trainee. The stipend for each additional full year of stipend support is the next level in the stipend structure and does not change in the middle of an appointment. The grantee institution is allowed to provide funds to an individual in addition to the stipends paid by the NIH. Such additional amounts may be either in the form of augmented stipends (supplementation) or in the form of compensation, such as salary or tuition remission for services such as teaching or serving as a laboratory assistant, provided the following conditions are met: Stipend Supplementation. Supplementation or additional support to offset the cost of living may be provided by the grantee institution. Supplementation does not require any additional effort from the trainee. Federal funds may not be used for supplementation unless specifically authorized under the terms of both the program from which such supplemental funds are to be received and the program whose funds are to be supplemented. Under no circumstances may PHS funds be used for supplementation. Compensation. An institution may provide additional funds to a trainee in the form of compensation (as salary and/or tuition remission) for services such as teaching or serving as a research assistant. A trainee may receive compensation for services as a research assistant or in some other position on a Federal research grant, including an NIH research grant. However, compensated services should occur on a limited, part-time basis apart from the normal research training activities, which require a minimum of 40 hours per week. In addition, compensation may not be paid from a research grant supporting research that is part of the research training experience. Under no circumstances may the conditions of stipend supplementation or the services provided for compensation interfere with, detract from, or prolong the trainee's approved NRSA training program. Refer to the NRSA Guidelines for additional information on compensation. Educational Loans or GI Bill. An individual may make use of Federal educational loan funds and assistance under the Veterans Readjustment Benefits Act (GI Bill). Such funds are not considered supplementation or compensation. Concurrent Awards. An NRSA may not be held concurrently with another federally sponsored fellowship or similar Federal award that provides a stipend or otherwise duplicates provisions of the NRSA. Tax Liability Internal Revenue Code Section 117 applies to the tax treatment of all scholarships and fellowships. Under that section, non-degree candidates are required to report as gross income all stipends and any monies paid on their behalf for course tuition and fees required for attendance. Degree candidates may exclude from gross income (for tax purposes) any amount used for tuition and related expenses such as fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for courses of instruction at a qualified educational organization. The taxability of stipends, however, in no way alters the relationship between NRSA trainees and institutions. NRSA stipends are not considered salaries. In addition, trainees supported under the NRSA are not considered to be in an employee-employer relationship with the NIH or the awardee institution. It must be emphasized that the interpretation and implementation of the tax laws are the domain of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the courts. PHS takes no position on what the status may be for a particular taxpayer, and it does not have the authority to dispense tax advice. Individuals should consult their local IRS office about the applicability of the law to their situation and for information on their tax obligations. Tuition, Fees, and Health Insurance Tuition, for purposes of NRSA, is defined as the cumulative amount of tuition, all fees, and self-only medical insurance, and are allowable trainee costs only if such charges are required of all individuals in a similar training status at the institution, regardless of their source of support. Family medical insurance coverage is not an appropriate charge to the NRSA research training grant. Tuition at the postdoctoral level is limited to that required for specific courses in support of the approved research training program. On an annual basis, for each trainee, the training grant will cover 100 percent of the first $2,000 of the combined cost of tuition, fees, and self-only health insurance and 60 percent of any amount above $2,000. Institutions are instructed to request the full amount of these costs in competing applications. Noncompeting awards will reimburse tuition, fees, and health insurance costs in the amount paid in the previous award year, unless there is a change in the scope of the award or the number of trainees to be supported. Other Trainee Costs Trainee travel, including attendance at scientific meetings that the institution determines to be necessary to the individual's research training, is an allowable trainee expense. In addition, support for travel to a research training experience away from the institution may be permitted. Research training experiences away from the parent institution must be justified considering the type of opportunities for training available, how these opportunities differ from those offered at the parent institution, and the relationship of the proposed experience to the trainee's career stage and goals. This type of research training requires prior approval from the NIH. Letters requesting such training may be submitted to the NIH awarding component at any time during the award period. Institutional costs of up to $2,500 a year per postdoctoral trainee may be requested to defray the costs of other research training related expenses, such as staff salaries, consultant costs, equipment, research supplies, and staff travel. A facilities and administration allowance (indirect cost allowance) based on 8 percent of total allowable direct costs (this excludes amounts for tuition, fees, health insurance, and equipment) may be requested. Applications from State and local government agencies may request full indirect cost reimbursement (see NIH Grants Policy Statement). Payback Provisions's specified in the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993, NRSA recipients incur a service payback obligation only during their first 12 months of postdoctoral support. Additionally, the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 specifies that the second and subsequent years of postdoctoral NRSA training will serve to pay back a postdoctoral service payback obligation. Accordingly, the following guidelines apply: o Postdoctoral trainees in the first 12 months of postdoctoral NRSA support must sign the payback agreement form (PHS form 6031) and will incur a period of service payback obligation equal to the period of support. o Postdoctoral trainees in the 13th and subsequent months of NRSA post- doctoral support are not required to sign the payback agreement form and will not incur a service payback obligation. o The 13th and subsequent months of postdoctoral NRSA support are considered acceptable payback service for prior postdoctoral support. Individuals who continue under that award for 2 years have fulfilled their obligation by the end of the second year. Service payback obligations can also be paid back by conducting health-related research or teaching averaging more than 20 hours per week of a full work year after terminating NRSA support. o Recipients must begin to undertake obligated service on a continuous basis within two years of NRSA support termination. The period for undertaking payback service may be delayed for such reasons as temporary disability, completion of residency requirements, or completion of the requirements for a graduate degree. Requests for an extension must be made in writing to the awarding component specifying the need for additional time and the length of the required extension. o Recipients of NRSA support are responsible for informing the NIH awarding component of changes in status or address. o For individuals who fail to fulfill their obligation through service, the United States is entitled to recover the total amount of NRSA funds paid to the individual for the obligated period plus interest at a rate determined by the Secretary of the Treasury. Financial payback must be completed within 3 years beginning on the date the United States becomes entitled to recover such amount. o Under certain conditions, the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (or those delegated this authority) may extend the period for starting service or repayment, permit breaks in service, or in rare cases in which service or financial repayment would constitute an extreme hardship, the approving official may waive or suspend the payback obligation of an individual. o Officials at the awardee institution have the responsibility of explaining the terms of the payback requirements to all prospective training candidates before appointment to the training grant. Additionally, all trainees recruited into the training program should be provided with information related to the career options available to individuals who complete the program and whether the types of positions available are consistent with the nature of the training provided and, where applicable, whether those positions are likely to satisfy any outstanding service payback obligation. 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 that 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. APPLICATION PROCEDURES The research grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) is to be used in applying for these grants. It contains special instructions for Institutional National Research Service Awards (T32). Applications kits are available at most institutional offices of sponsored research and may be obtained from the Division of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910, telephone (301) 710-0267, Email: [email protected]. The application is also available at http://www.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm Applicants must observe the 25-page limit on the narrative section. Applicants may request up to five years of support through the T32 mechanism. The applicant should justify the number of full-time postdoctoral training positions requested. Predoctoral and Short-term research training positions may not be requested through this PA. The title and number of this PA must be typed in Section 2 on the face page of the application. The completed original application and four legible copies must be sent or delivered by May 10 of each year 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 that are complete and responsive to this PA will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer review group convened by the NIMH in accordance with NIH peer review procedures and criteria for T32 applications. All applications judged to be competitive during the initial merit review will be discussed, assigned a priority score and receive a second level review by the National Institute of Mental Health Advisory Council. The applicant must have access to a training environment with ongoing multi- institutional clinical trials of the efficacy of therapy. Ideally, the applicant organization serves as a coordinating center which provides the clinical trials with ongoing biostatistical, epidemiologic and research design expertise. The review criteria for applications received in response to this PA are similar to those for unsolicited T32 applications. Specifically, these are: Past research training record in terms of the success of former trainees in obtaining individual research awards and career awards for further development; Past research training record of both the program, if applicable, and the designated preceptors, as determined by the success of former trainees in establishing independent and productive research careers in the design and conduct of clinical trials; Commitment to the objectives, design and direction of a research training program responsive to this PA; Caliber of preceptors as investigators with expertise in biostatistics, epidemiology, and clinical trials, including successful competition for research support; The training environment, including access to ongoing multi-institutional clinical trials of treatment, the institutional commitment, the quality of the facilities, the availability of appropriate didactic courses, and the availability of research support; and Recruitment and selection plans for trainees, and the availability of eligible candidates. All applications for institutional NRSA research training must include a specific plan to recruit and retain underrepresented minorities in the training program. If an applications is received without a plan, the application will be considered incomplete and will be returned. In addition adequacy of plans to include genders, children and adolescents, and their subgroups as appropriate for the scientific goals of the research, or justification for their exclusion. Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be evaluated. Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research: Every predoctoral and postdoctoral NRSA trainee supported by an institutional research training grant must receive instruction in the responsible conduct of research. (For more information on this provision, see the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Volume 21, Number 43, November 27, 1992.) Applications must include a description of a program to provide formal or informal instruction in scientific integrity or the responsible conduct of research. Applications without plans for instruction in the responsible conduct of research will be considered incomplete and may be returned to the applicant without review. o Although the NIH does not establish specific curricula or formal requirements, all programs are encouraged strongly to consider instruction in the following areas: conflict of interest, responsible authorship, policies for handling misconduct, policies regarding the use of human and animal subjects, and data management. Within the context of training in scientific integrity it is also beneficial to discuss the mutual responsibilities of the institution and the graduate students or postdoctorates appointed to the program. o Plans must address the subject matter of the instruction, the format of the instruction, the degree of faculty participation, trainee attendance, and the frequency of instruction. o The rationale for the proposed plan of instruction must be provided. o Program reports on the type of instruction provided, topics covered, and other relevant information, such as attendance by trainees and faculty participation, must be included in future competing continuation and noncompeting applications. The NIH encourages institutions to provide instruction in the responsible conduct of research to all graduate students and postdoctorates in a training program or department, regardless of the source of support. AWARD CRITERIA The NIMH anticipates awarding up to 5 training grants in response to this PA. Applications for this program will compete for available funds with other T32 applications received and reviewed by the NIMH. The following will be considered making funding decisions: o Responsiveness to the purpose of this announcement o Quality of the proposed training program, as determined by peer review o Availability of funds INQUIRIES Consultation with NIMH staff is strongly encouraged, especially during the planning phase of the applications process, in order to ensure that the application is responsive to the scientific mission and the research training goals of the NIMH. The staff person listed below is responsible for the NIMH extramural research training and career development program covered by this PA and can respond to inquiries concerning programmatic issues: Enid Light, Ph.D. (adult and geriatric) National Institute of Mental Health 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 7160 MSC 9635 Bethesda, MD 20892-9635 Telephone: (301) 443-3599 FAX: (301) 594-6784 Email: [email protected] Benedetto Vitiello, M.D. (child and adolescent) National Institute of Mental Health 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 7149 MSC 9633 Bethesda, MD 20892-9633 Telephone: (301) 443-4283 FAX: (301) 443-4045 Email: [email protected] Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to: Diana S. Trunnell Grants Management Branch National Institute of Mental Health 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 6115 MSC 9605 Bethesda, MD 20892-9635 Telephone: (301) 443-2805 FAX: (301) 443-6885 Email: Diana [email protected] AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.282. Awards are made under authorization of the Public Health Service Act, Title IV, Part A (Public Law 78-410, as amended by Public Law 99-158, 42 USC 241 and 285) and administered under PHS grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 66 and 45 CFR Part 74. This program is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review. PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to provide a smoke- free workplace and promote the nonuse 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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