Rutgers-New York University Center for Asian Health Promotion and Equity Call for Pilot Proposals Request for Applications

Center:
CAHPE

Applications being accepted for one-year NIH/NIMHD-funded Pilot-Study
Awards up to $35,000 each
Intend to fund up to six awards in this cycle

Key dates

Deadline for Application Submission: January 17, 2023, by 11:50 PM EST
Earliest Anticipated Award Date: March 2023 (after NIH approval)

Overview and goals

Several chronic health diagnoses disproportionately impact US Asians, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension. Many Asian subgroups have a higher prevalence of cardiometabolic disease than non-Hispanic white counterparts. 1-6 However, health disparities are disguised due to aggregation of Asian racial category; thus, there is a call for research to use disaggregated data.2,7

The goal of our P50 CAHPE is to improve cardiometabolic and mental health-related research involving U.S. Asian adults. This will be accomplished through supporting both large-scale and small-scale projects on cardiometabolic and mental health among US Asians. Through these pilot projects, we aim to develop a pipeline of qualified researchers focused on Asian health disparities in cardiometabolic and mental health.

Pilot Project Awards will support collaborative projects conducting innovative research that focuses on the intersection of cardiometabolic disease and mental health among Asians (comparative research between U.S. Asian adults and other populations also qualify). This research can span the disciplines of basic science, population studies, or social science. Projects can focus on primary data collection or secondary data analyses. Projects that include a diverse sample of Asian ethnicities and include sub- group analysis to reflect the heterogeneity of U.S. Asian adults are encouraged. For more information about the Center for Asian Health Promotion and Equity (CAHPE, pronounced “cape”) and aims, please refer to our project description.

Pilot projects are expected to address determinants of health at two or more levels of influence (individual, interpersonal/organizations, community, societal; see NIMHD Research Framework for more information) that are relevant to cardiometabolic disease and mental health disparities among Asians in NJ/NY. All investigators will be strongly encouraged to use common data elements and measures that have been vetted through the NIH PhenX-Toolkit process, especially for social determinants of health. Please see the appendix for a list of common data elements in our Center.

Eligibility

All advanced post-doctoral fellows or early-stage investigators (at instructor, assistant, or associate professor level) who are not only interested in becoming an independent investigator, but also in pursuing research regarding health disparities among U.S. Asian adults are eligible to apply. Principal investigators who have previously received or who are current recipients of NIH R01-level or equivalent funding are not eligible for this funding mechanism. Minority scholars are encouraged to apply.

Applicants will be academic, clinical, or community-based researchers preferably based in the New York/New Jersey area.

Full application guideline

The application must include all sections outlined below.

Cover Page and Abstract 

On the cover page please include:

  1. The title of the project
  2. Names, faculty ranks, and institutions of PI and all other co-investigators/collaborators/mentorship team
  3. The PI’s contact information (phone number and email address). Additionally, provide an abstract description of the proposed research project in layman’s terms (250 words or fewer).

Research Proposal

The proposal should describe the research plan and should include:

  1. Specific aims
  2. Scientific significance and innovation
  3. Preliminary studies
  4. Research design and methods, including any analytic procedures
  5. Limitations
  6. Information on how the proposed project will lead to peer-reviewed funding
  7. Plans for the PI’s career development and mentorship
  8. The added value that the proposed research brings to the Rutgers-NYU CAHPE and the U.S. Asian adult population. This section is limited to 3 pages excluding figures, tables and references. Appendix material will not be accepted. Proposals should be submitted using 11-point Arial font and no less than 0.5” margins.

Biosketches

Current NIH Biosketches (this should include all other funding sources) is required for the PI. Biosketches should be submitted on the current NIH Biographical Sketch Format.

Budget

Requests NOT EXCEEDING the award amount should be submitted on the NIH budget form, and budget justifications should be submitted to match the budget form.

Outline major divisions of funds (personnel/effort support, equipment, supplies, other, etc.; and include adequate rationale in the budget justification). Funds should be used for research-related activities, excluding travel expenses for conferences. All budget estimates include direct costs only. Indirect costs are unallowable.

Please consult with the Office of Sponsor Program of your Institution to confirm what the grant submission requirements are.

Institutional matching funds are preferred, but not required, to cover additional effort or research related costs.

Human Subjects portion

The applicant will provide written study protocols that address risks and protections for human subjects in

accordance with NIH’s Instructions for Preparing the Human Subjects Section of the Research Plan and specific plans for data and safety monitoring if applicable.

If IRB approval is necessary for the proposed research, approval will be required prior to receiving funding (IRB approval is not needed for the pilot application review).

Letters of Support

It is required that your primary mentor provides a letter of support for your application to show his/her commitment to your proposed study.

In addition, if you are working with any community partners to recruit participants or collect data, please also include letter(s) of support from the relevant community partners.

Format

All items must be compiled and submitted as a single PDF file. Please number each page. All application submissions can be submitted by the investigator to our email [email protected] or through the Institution’s Office of Sponsor Program. All inquiries related to this request for proposals should also be directed via email to [email protected].

Application Deadline

January 17, 2023 by 11:59 PM EST

Pilot Proposal Review Criteria

Applications will be reviewed by designated review committees. Reviewers will assign a score on the overall application based on the following review criteria:

Significance

The project addresses cardiometabolic and mental health outcomes involving U.S. Asian adults or comparative research between U.S. Asian adults and other minority populations. The aims of the project advance scientific knowledge, technical capability, and have near-term impact.

Innovation

The application utilizes novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions.

Investigator(s)

The PI, collaborators, and other key personnel have the necessary experience and expertise to accomplish the goals of the proposed research project. The investigators have complementary and integrated expertise.

Approach

The overall strategy, methodology, and analyses is well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project.

Career Development

There is a well thought-out and reasonable plan for career development of the junior investigator. Mentor(s) have been identified and the appropriate mechanisms are in place to achieve career development goals outlined.

Potential for External Funding

There is a high likelihood that the proposed research project will lead to NIH or other types of foundation funding.

There are common data elements (CDE) that should be incorporated as much as possible. These will be shared with awardees.

Inquiries regarding our CAHPE and or this funding opportunity should be submitted via email [email protected].

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