Rehabilitation Research News: January 9, 2023

Disability Updates from NIH

December 2022 was an active month for the disability community at NIH. Please check the links below for more information on the recommendations from the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director on enhancing disability inclusion at NIH, a review of data on self-reported disability status by NIH extramural principal investigators (PIs), and best practices developed by the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) program to improve accessibility of home diagnostic tests for COVID-19.

• New Recommendations for Enhancing Disability Inclusion
• Data on Researchers’ Self-Reported Disability Status—NIH Extramural Nexus
• Best Practices for the Design of Accessible COVID-19 Home Tests

Diversity Updates from NIH

The Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity (COSWD) Office is pleased to announce the proceedings (PDF, 684.46 KB) from the May 2022 “How Does Diversity Impact Science?” Scientific Workforce Diversity Seminar Series (SWDSS) event are now available, along with the presenters’ slides and the event recording. The series proceedings capture the vibrant discussion on the evidence regarding the impact of diverse, inclusive teams on creativity, innovation, and productivity in science.

Registration is now open for the first SWDSS of 2023, “Outcomes From NASEM’s Advancing Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEM Organizations (ADEI) Report,” on Thursday, February 2, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. ET. This seminar will feature leaders from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) interdisciplinary committee discussing the report’s findings. If you have colleagues who may be interested in attending, please share this information with them.
Please visit the COSWD website for more information on the SWDSS, including proceedings from past seminars.

Changes to Peer Review 

NIH has issued a request for information (RFI) seeking feedback on revising and simplifying the peer review framework for grant applications. The goal of this effort is to facilitate the mission of scientific peer review: identifying the strongest, highest-impact research. The proposed changes will allow peer reviewers to focus on scientific merit by evaluating the scientific impact, research rigor, and feasibility of the proposed research without the distraction of administrative questions and concerns about whether the appropriate expertise and resources are available to conduct the research, mitigating the possible undue influence of the reputation of the institution or investigator.

NIH Notices and Funding Opportunities

• Request for Information (RFI) on Proposed Simplified Review Framework for NIH Research Project Grant Applications
  • (NOT-OD-23-034)
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Application Receipt Date(s): March 10, 2023
• Implementation Research on Noncommunicable Disease Risk Factors among Low- and Middle-Income Country and Tribal Populations Living in City Environments (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
  • (PAR-23-042)
  • Multiple Institutes
  • Application Receipt Date(s): March 9, 2023
• Notice of Future Research Opportunity Announcement for the All of Us Center for Linkage and Acquisition of Data
  • (NOT-PM-23-002)
  • Office of the Director, NIH
• Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) for Efficacy Trials of Epidural Stimulation for Spinal Cord Injury
  • (NOT-NS-23-038)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
  • Application Receipt Date(s): February 9, 2023
• NIH StrokeNet National Data Management Center for year 2023 (U01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
  • (RFA-NS-23-008)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
  • Application Receipt Date(s): February 28, 2023
• NIH StrokeNet National Coordinating Center for year 2023 (U01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
  • (RFA-NS-23-009)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
  • Application Receipt Date(s): February 28, 2023
• NIH StrokeNet- Regional Coordinating Stroke Centers for year 2023 (U24 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
  • (RFA-NS-23-010)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
  • Application Receipt Date(s): February 28, 2023

Other Federal Funding Announcements

Food and Drug Administration 

• Supporting the use of Real-World Data to Generate Real-World Evidence in Regulatory Decision-Making (U01) Clinical Trials Optional
  • (RFA-FD-23-025)
  • Food and Drug Administration
  • Application Receipt Date(s): February 28, 2023
• In Vivo Regional Deposition Measurements for Supporting Model Validation (U01) Clinical Trial Required
  • (RFA-FD-23-014)
  • Food and Drug Administration
  • Application Receipt Date(s): March 31, 2023

Department of Defense

The Department of Defense programs managed by the office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) recently released fiscal year 2023 (FY23) pre-announcements, including four awards as part of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Program:

• Pilot Clinical Trial Award
• Therapeutic Development Award
• Clinical Biomarker Development Award
• Therapeutic Idea Award

For more information on the types of funding opportunities offered and application strategies, please review the CDMRP Webinar Series.
 

Diversity Hiring Opportunities 

NIH Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) Program

Northwestern University is recruiting exceptional early-career applicants in the biomedical sciences through the NIH FIRST program. Multiple tenure-track positions at the assistant professor level will be available across a broad range of scholarship in three areas:

• Cancer
• Cardiovascular
• Brain, mind, and behavior

Cluster hiring of new faculty will take place over a period of three years. Northwestern encourages applications by members of groups underrepresented in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral, engineering, physical, and social sciences. To review the requirements and apply to open positions, please visit Northwestern’s Nurture Program’s website.

Postdoctoral Fellowship: Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (AART) Program 

Langston University (LU), a historically Black college/university (HBCU), has been awarded a $1 million grant by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) to offer a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in Solutions-Focused Translational Research to Enhance Equity in Employment Outcomes and Experiences Among Multiply Marginalized Persons of Color with Disabilities. The goal of the ARRT Program, housed within the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Research and Capacity Building for Minority Entities (LU-RRTC), is to improve the capacity of minority-serving institutions (MSIs: HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, and American Indian Tribal colleges and universities) to develop and the training pipeline infrastructure for rehabilitation research. These developments will facilitate the development of emerging talent and produce MSI-based investigators who can participate in research and development aimed at improving the employment status of individuals with disabilities from traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic populations and communities.

How to Apply: The review of applications will begin on February 15, 2023. Application packets must be submitted by February 15, 2023, to the attention of Dr. Corey L. Moore, LU-RRTC, 6700 N. Martin Luther King Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73105. For an application packet or additional information, please contact Dr. Moore at 405-530-7530 or by email at capacitybuildingrrtc@langston.edu.