Appendix I
During the Workshop, presentations were made by representatives from the National Heart,
Lung, & Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the Respiratory Professional Societies updating research
training support available for advanced fellowship trainees and junior faculty. Individual
presentations follow:
National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute and Division of Lung Disease (Dr. Carl Roth and
Dr. James P. Kiley)
NHLBI offers a broad range of funding mechanisms for individuals in research training, from F30
awards to support fellows in dual degree (MD/PHD) programs, or F31s for predoctoral fellows,
to institutional Ruth L. Kirschstein, National Research Service Awards (NRSA) supporting preand postdoctoral trainees and short-term training for health professional students, to the
mentored career development awards (the “Ks”). The NHLBI’s Division of Lung Diseases (DLD)
supports approximately 60 institutional NRSA training grants and R25 (short-term training for
minority students) grants per year. In FY 2007, the DLD T32s were awarded for 14 short-term
positions, 113 predoctoral positions, and 306 postdoctoral positions. The postdoctoral positions
were filled by approximately 63% MDs, and 37% PhDs. The average number of DLD-funded
individual NRSA Fellowships (F32s) per year was around 25.
The Ruth L. Kirschstein Institutional National Research Service Awards (T32) and Individual
Kirschstein Fellowships (F32) support a substantial number of pre- and post-doctoral trainees at
institutions across the U.S. In FY 2007, all NIH T32s supported approximately 5,600
postdoctoral training positions and 8,300 predoctoral positions. F32s (Individual Kirschstein
Fellowships) supported approximately 1,500 postdoctoral trainees. NHLBI is the second highest
Institute in terms of number of training positions funded. In Pt 2008, NHLBI funded 223 T32
1
awards, which supported 1,543 training positions at 75 different institutions. Dr. Roth illustrated
that the average cost for NHLBI T32 awards has risen from just under $200,000 per
grant in FY 1999 to around $330,000 each in FY 2008. However, stipend levels in 2008
constant dollars have actually decreased. Stipend levels at the time of this Workshop ranged
from $36,996 for a new postdoctoral, to a high of $51,036 for someone with 7 or more years of
postdoctoral experience. These levels may not be financially attractive to individuals considering
pursuit of a research career.
If private organizations would want to consider providing financial supplementation to trainees
on T32s, there would be problems to consider, such as which training programs or trainees
would be supplemented. An alternative possibility would be to supplement individual
postdoctoral NRSA fellows (F32). Advantages of this approach would be that the applications
would have already been peer reviewed and scored by NIH; applicants gain the experience of
writing an NIH application; and then receiving an F32 that potentially could free up a training
position on a T32. Also, since the NIH budget has remained fairly level (excluding recent
American Recovery and Reconstruction Act stimulus funding), consideration of leveraging other
programs such as the CTSA and also industry/pharmaceutical sources could be considered.
Another incentive for potential researchers is the NIH Loan Repayment Program, which
encourages promising researchers and scientists to pursue research careers through repaying
up to $35,000 of their qualified student debt per year.
Some organizations have been providing supplemental funding directly to individuals who have
received NHLBI mentored K awards. For example, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association
provides supplemental salary and research development support up to $62,500 per year for up
to 5 years to individuals who receive a NHLBI K08 or K23 grant award for research on
pulmonary hypertension.
2
Professional Societies
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), (Dr. Bruce S. Bochner)
On behalf of the AAAAI, and as Chair of the Research & Training Division of AAAAI, Dr.
Bochner presented this organization’s approach to optimizing fellowship and junior faculty
training and support. At its last retreat in 2005, one of the areas of focus in the strategic plan for
2006 to 2009 included fostering and disseminating research and new information in allergy and
immunology and enhancing and by supporting academic allergy/immunology programs. Goals
included greater efforts by AAAAI to sustain previously funded investigators whose funding had
lapsed and research still had potential; increasing the number of junior allergy/immunology
faculty investigators; increasing the number of third year fellows-in-training who are committed
to academic careers (since Al training for board-eligibility is only for two years); and to develop
faculty transition awards to bridge the critical gaps between fellowship and junior faculty status.
By partnering with industry and by enhancing the size of the asthma and allergy research trust
corpus, the AAAAI provided ten fellow-in-training awards and one faculty level award, totaling
$750,000 in 2007. This expanded to twelve fellow-in-training awards and four faculty awards in
2008, totaling $1,105,000, in large part based on new availability of fellowship-tofaculty bridge
awards and enhanced availability of third year fellowship awards. In addition to this, in 2009, the
AAAAI launched the Fellowship of Excellence Training Award, which provides $50,000 per year
for two years to support the training of an allergy/immunology fellow from an underrepresented
minority community at an ACGME-accredited allergy/immunology training program in the USA.
This underscores the longstanding commitment that AAAAI has in training physicians of
underrepresented minorities. Despite these advancements, due to the economic downturn for
2009 these types of awards have been scaled back by 37%, and current plans are to give only
ten awards this year.
3
Another focus of AAAAI is on programs that bring more young individuals to its national
meeting, with the goal being to expose them to career opportunities in allergy/immunology. This
includes the Chrysalis Program that supports the attendance of approximately 20 medical
students to the annual AAAAI meeting; the Odyssey Program, which brings about 10
underrepresented minority medical residents to the annual program; and the ST*AR Program
(Strategic Training in Allergy Research) which is focused on graduate students, PhD, or
MD/PhD postdoctoral fellows, numbering about 30, so that they can attend a meeting that is
more clinically/transitionally oriented than most of the others they will likely attend during their
basic immunology training. These are only available to U.S. and Canadian citizens.
Finally, the AAAAI is interested in tracking awardee success. In a recent survey of award
recipients from AAAAI (1996 to 2006), total AAAAI fellow-in-training funding of $1.23 million
dollars led to a 12-fold return of investment in that this resulted in subsequent non-AAAAI
funding of nearly $15 million dollars. Even more impressive was that $1.6 million dollars of
faculty funding from AAAAI resulted in $42 million dollars of non-AAAAI faculty funding, for a 26fold return on investment. Thus, given the fact that: a) more than 80 percent of
allergy/immunology training programs are not focused on training for academic careers, b) there
are only about a dozen T32 programs headed by directors of allergy/immunology programs, and
c) there are few AAAAI academic positions in research open without extramural support such as
the K award mechanism, a minimum of an extra year of research-intensive protected time
during fellowship is critical for long-term academic success as is support during the
transition from fellowship to faculty, involving mechanisms such as K awards. Finally, the AAAAI
would welcome opportunities for cross training leading to dual board eligibility in both
allergy/immunology and pulmonary medicine, as well as opportunities to partner with other
organizations and the NIH in helping foster success for academic allergy trainees.
4
American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) Research support for Postdoctoral
Fellows (Dr. Clete Kushida)
The AASM represents over 1,600 sleep centers and the professional interests of more than
7,200 sleep medicine specialists, including multidisciplinary sleep medicine physicians,
researchers, academicians, technologists, trainees, and students. The AASM provides the
funding for all of the American Sleep Medicine Foundation’s (ASMF) administrative costs and
has funded most of the ASMF grants. The goal of the ASMF is to support education as well as
clinical and basic research, and it awarded its first grants in 2000. Since then, the ASMF has
awarded nearly 3 million dollars to 37 projects. The ASMF recently established Physician
Scientist Training Awards which fund salary support, overhead, and supplies. There were five of
these awards ($75,000 for one year) available for 2008, and four were granted with the following
topics: Effectiveness of Night Floats and Naps in Reducing the Risks of Interns’ 24+ Hour Shifts;
Sleep, Learning and Parkinson Disease; Modulating Effect of Circadian Rhythm and
Sleep/Wake Cycle on Severity of Sleep Apnea Hypopnea Syndrome; and A Pilot Study
Evaluating Changes in Pcrit after Therapy for OSA with Oral Appliance Therapy and Upper
Airway Surgery. The ASMF has committed $1,875,000 to this award for five years. This award
and other awards available in which postdoctoral fellows are eligible to apply are described in
the following Table:
Table 1. Awards Eligible to Postdoctoral Fellows
Name
Eligibility Criteria
Restrictions
Number
Amount
Years
Funded
Physician Scientist
Training Awards
Postdoctoral fellows
in ACGME sleep
medicine programs
Applicants on a
training grant of
$100,000 (total
support) or more
are ineligible
5
$75,000
1
Strategic Research
Award
Postdoctoral fellows
(MDs or PhDs) and
junior faculty (below
None
2
$75,000
1
5
the rank of associate
professor) who are
members of the
AASM in good
standing
Educational Projects
Award
Physicians* who are
members of the
AASM in good
standing
None
2
$75,000
1
The CHEST Foundation (Dr. Alvin V. Thomas, Jr.)
The CHEST Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American College of Chest Physicians
(ACCP). It focuses on four key areas — critical care/end-of-life care, tobacco prevention,
humanitarian service, and clinical research and provides programs and initiatives that support
ACCP members in these clinical and research activities. One of the Foundation’s goals is to
maintain and strengthen its strategic relationships with private and public organizations to
enhance its impact on world health.
The CHEST Foundation Awards Program
One of the important programs of The CHEST Foundation that holds the promise of improving
patient care along with supporting clinical investigators, is its awards program. The Foundation
offers ACCP members a variety of awards in clinical research, leadership in end-of-life care,
and humanitarian service. The CHEST Foundation awards have supported ACCP members
early in their careers, as well as Distinguished Scholars. In 2009, The CHEST Foundation
offered over $600,000 in awards to ACCP members submitting outstanding applications in a
variety of areas relating to cardiopulmonary and critical care medicine.
Awards are offered to members at various levels of membership and are as follows:
6
Distinguished Scholar Award (offered to senior ACCP Members)
The Third Eli Lilly and Company Distinguished Scholar in Critical Care Medicine
Leadership Award (offered to senior members)
The Roger C. Bone Advances in End-of-Life Care Award
Clinical Research Awards (except as noted, available to all ACCP members, including
fellows)
The ACCP and CHEST Foundation Grants in Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) (available to
senior members only)
The Alpha-i Foundation and The CHEST Foundation Clinical Research Award in COPD and
Alpha-i Antitrypsin (AAT) Deficiency
The Association of Specialty Professors and The CHEST Foundation of the American College
of Chest Physicians Geriatric Development Research Award (available to ACCP members in
their first 5 years of academic faculty appointment)
The CHEST Foundation California Chapter Clinical Research/Medical Education Award
The CHEST Foundation Clinical Research Award in Women’s Health
The CHEST Foundation and the LUNGevity Foundation Clinical Research Award in Lung
Cancer
Humanitarian Awards (available to all ACCP members and fellows)
Newly named the D. Robert McCaffree, MD, Master FCCP Humanitarian Awards at CHEST
2008 to honor its founder, Dr. D. Robert McCaffree, the 2009 Humanitarian Awards will be
conferred at The CHEST
7
Foundation’s Making a Difference Awards Dinner during CHEST 2009. Awards granted will be
at three levels: $5,000, $10,000, and $15,000. These are given to the nonprofit and
nongovernmental organizations throughout the world where ACCP members volunteer their
time and medical expertise to help those most in need. The ACCP member is given an award
certificate. In addition, a $5,000 Ambassadors Group Humanitarian Awards is available.
Scientific Abstract Awards (offered to ACCP members within 5 years of training and
fellows)
Top Five Poster Awards
Alfred Soffer Research Awards
Young Investigator Awards
8
American Lung Association-Nationwide Research Awards and Grants Program (Ms
Elizabeth Lancet)
The American Lung Association’s (ALA) Nationwide Research Awards and Grants Program
foster both laboratory and patient-centered research designed to find cures and to prevent and
relieve the suffering associated with lung disease. The ALA’s portfolio of awards and grants is
unique in its breadth and approach to achieving the ALA’s mission.
The ALA has supported research since 1915 and believes that research is the key that will
unlock the door to a better tomorrow for all people with lung disease. We depend on our
scientists not only to pursue basic and clinical research but also to illuminate our public health
education and outreach efforts.
The ALA funds a wide variety of research in many areas of lung disease. Many scientists are
conducting research in the ALA’s main areas of focus: asthma; tobacco-related diseases such
as lung cancer and emphysema; and environmental health. The association also funds research
in other areas, such as lung diseases that strike infants and children, the mechanisms of
breathing, tuberculosis and AIDS, and deadly lung infections.
The ALA invests in researchers throughout their careers. An overwhelming 90% of American
Lung Association Research Award Recipients have gone on to careers in lung health research.
The following grants and awards are part of the ALA’s research program portfolio:
INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR AWARDS
•
Biomedical Research Grants: $40,000/yr. Seed monies for investigators researching the
9
mechanisms of lung disease and general lung biology. Duration: up to two years.
•
Clinical Patient Care Research Grant: $40,000/yr. Seed monies for investigators working
on traditional clinical studies examining methods for improving patient care and
treatment for lung disease. Duration: up to two years.
•
Social-Behavioral Research Grant: $40,000/yr. Seed monies for investigators working
on epidemiological and behavioral studies examining risk factors affecting lung health.
This grant includes studies concerning the ethical, legal, and economic aspects of health
services and policies. Duration: up to two years.
TRAINING AWARDS
•
Lung Health Dissertation Grant: $21,000/yr. Pre-doctoral support for students with an
academic career focus and/or nurses pursuing a doctoral degree. Research areas of
particular interest to the American Lung Association are: psychosocial, behavioral,
health services, health policy, epidemiological, biostatistical and educational matters
related to lung disease. Duration: up to two years.
•
Senior Research Training Fellowship: $32,500/yr. MDs entering the 3rd and 4th year of
their research fellowship, and/or PhDs entering the 1st and 2nd year of their academic
training as scientific investigators. Research areas of particular interest to the American
Lung are: adult pulmonary medicine, pediatric pulmonary medicine and lung biology.
Duration: up to two years.
10
ALLIANCE AWARD PROGRAM
The ALA’s research program provides opportunities to focus on targeted lung disease/health
issues as well as work with like-minded medical societies in the funding of high-level lung
disease research. Major donor sponsors and partners of the American Lung Association support
these special research initiatives. The availability of the following award categories and areas of
emphasis change annually and may not be offered every year.
CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE
•
American Lung Association / Alpha 1 Foundation Research Grant: $40,000/yr. Focused
on basic science and clinical research studies of AAT Deficiency and COPD. Duration:
up to two years.
•
American Lung Association / COPD Foundation Research Grant: $100,000/yr. Focused
on the treatment or cure of bronchiectasis. Duration: up to two years.
LYMPHANGIOLEIOMYOMATOSIS (LAM)
•
American Lung Association / LAM Foundation Research Grant: $40,000/yr. Focused on
the abnormal proliferation of smooth muscle that occurs in Lymphangioleiomyomatosis
(LAM). Duration: up to two years.
LUNG CANCER
•
American Lung Association / LUNGevity Foundation Lung Cancer Discovery Award:
$100,000/yr. Focused on novel medical treatments or a cure for lung cancer. Duration:
up to two years.
•
American Lung Association / Diane Emdin Sachs Lung Cancer Award: $75,000/yr.
11
Focused on advancing small cell lung cancer diagnosis and treatment. Duration: up to
two years.
NON-TUBERCULOSIS MYCOBACTERIUM DISEASES
•
American Lung Association / NTM Info & Research, Inc. Award: $60,000/yr. Focused on
pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection and related infections.
SLEEP DISORDERS
1) American Lung Association / National Sleep Foundation Pickwick Award: up to
$52,000/yr. Focused on research related to sleep and breathing. Duration: up to two
years.
OTHER LUNG DISEASES
2) American Lung Association / Dalsemer Research Grant: $40,000/yr. Focused on
interstitial lung disease. Duration: up to two years.
3) American Lung Association / DeSouza Research Grant: $100,000/yr. Focused on
bronchiectasis, infection with atypical Mycobacteria, particularly Mycobacterium Avium
and infection with Nocardia species. This grant includes epidemiological, laboratory or
clinical research. Duration: up to three years.
American Thoracic Society (ATS) Research Support (Dr. Jo Rae Wright)
Science and research are among the core values of the ATS. Science forms the foundation for
the care that our members provide to their patients and their families. Science also provides
12
essential means for understanding health and disease, discovering cures, and improving the
quality of life of the patients whom we serve. As the ATS has strived to produce first-class
medical and scientific journals and attract the world’s top scientists to its premier International
Conference in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine, the Society’s dedication to research
is evident as an essential focus of its mission.
In late 2002, when the ATS Board of Directors voted unanimously to create a new Research
Program, the Society further enhanced its strong commitment to the ideals of research. Since
that historic moment, the ATS Research Program has grown steadily and continues to thrive.
The goals of the ATS
Research Program are to foster new research initiatives, to develop careers in research, to
enhance the visibility of the ATS in research, and to develop strong collaborations between ATS
and patient interest organizations, as well as other organizations that support respiratory-related
research.
The ATS Research Program provides ‘seed funding’ for junior investigators early in their
research careers. The funding supports junior investigators working in collaboration with more
established investigators. Grants are typically $50,000 per year for two years. Since its inception
in 2002, research support has grown from approximately $100,000 to over $1.5 million per year.
The Research Program operates under the critical guiding principles of partnership and
collaboration. From the genesis of the Program, the ATS realized that maximal progress could
be made in research if the Society worked in harmony with other organizations focusing on the
diagnosis, pathogenesis, and treatment of lung disease. The Research Program operates with
13
the intention that the ATS will set research priorities and share funding responsibilities with other
medical, research, clinical, professional, corporate, patient, and nonprofit health organizations
with interests in pulmonary and critical care diseases and disorders.
However, each year there are a number of research priorities that are not covered by partnered
research grants. In order to fund these equally urgent research priorities, the ATS Research
Program also supports “unrestricted” research grants that are fully supported by the ATS.
In addition, the ATS provides peer review and grants management for ATS/GSK Fellow Career
Development Awards that are funded by a generous contribution by Glaxo-Smith Kline, Inc.
These awards provide $50,000 for one year to enhance career development (generally research
training support) of Pulmonary/Critical Care fellowship trainees in ACGME-accredited programs.
Name
Eligibility Criteria
Restrictions
Number
Amount
Years
Funded
Fellow Career
Development Awards
Fellows beyond
Clinical years of
training
US Citizens or
Permanent
Residents
8
$50,000
1
Partnership Research
Grants
Junior faculty within
1-5 years of
completing their
training
None
13
$100,000
2
Unrestricted Research
Grants
Junior faculty within
1-5 years of
completing their
training
None
4
$100,000
2
A list of research partners and more information about the program is available at
http://thoracic.org/sections/research/ats-research-program.html
14
Parker B. Francis Fellowship Program (Dr. Thomas R. Martin)
The Parker B. Francis (PBF) Fellowship Program is sponsored by the Francis Families
Foundation, a philanthropic foundation based in Kansas City, MO. Since 1976, the Fellowship
Program has supported more than 760 new investigators doing clinical, translational and basic
research in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine.
The PBF program supports MD and Ph.D. scientists who are within 7 years of their primary
degree training and who either have an initial faculty position, or who have a strong commitment
for a faculty position during their PBF Fellowship. The research areas are broadly defined and
relate to clinical, translational and basic aspects of pulmonary medicine, lung cell and molecular
biology, sleep and control of breathing. Applicants are expected to work with an experienced
mentor, who has a funded laboratory and provides the scientific framework for the applicant’s
project and scientific training. PBF Fellows receive approximately $50,000/yr for three years,
most of which is devoted to salary support, with supplies covered by the Mentor’s laboratory
program. PBF Fellows may hold other NIH or foundation awards during their PBF Fellowship
period, provided that the other awards are not for the identical work supported by the PBF
Fellowship. Each Department of Medicine may have two active PBF Fellows at any given time,
but can only receive support for one new PBF Fellow during each application cycle. The PBF
Program supports between 15-18 fellows/yr. Applications are submitted in October of each year,
and are reviewed by the Scientific Council in January of the following year, for funding beginning
the following July. Applications are judged on the quality and career trajectory of the applicant,
the experience and success of the mentor, in science as well as training, and the scientific
quality of the work proposed.
A recent survey of trainees who received PBF Fellowships in 1995, 2000, and 2002 showed that
15
of 47 fellows funded, 40 responded to the survey, and of these, 93% remained active in
research. Most spent more than 50% time in research. Since completing the PBF Fellowship,
these individuals had received more than $88 million in research grants as principal investigator
and had published more than 900 scientific articles as primary, senior or co-author. This is
excellent record of success shows the value of supporting outstanding new investigators in
pulmonary research who are working in outstanding scientific training environments.
16