Research Updates & Announcements

Dear Colleagues,

The Faculty Innovation Fund supports the research of full-time, early-stage faculty with a primary appointment in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The goal of this fund is to stimulate innovative research projects that will strengthen the faculty member’s research trajectory. Assistant professors, both in the tenure and non-tenure tracks, and assistant scientists are eligible. As these are research-focused awards, assistant professors in the practice or teaching tracks and assistant scientists need to articulate how this award will impact their individual research career trajectory. The deadline for this round of Faculty Innovation Fund applications is April 21, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Application information and other details are provided below.  

The 2023 Faculty Innovation Fund awardees were Dana Sarnak (Population, Family and Reproductive Health), Yash Chhabra (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology), Aki Nishimura (Biostatistics), Michael Desjardins (Epidemiology). A listing of previous awardees is available here.

What are the Faculty Innovation Fund awards?

These awards are for up to $35,000, and generally two to four applications are awarded annually. Pilot, formative, and development studies that can be leveraged into competitive grant applications are the focus of these awards. Applications for collaborative projects are permitted if both PI's fulfill eligibility criteria. Awards can be used to purchase equipment or supplies, pay student or staff salaries, and support other research needs. Salary support is permitted for up to 10% effort.

Awards are for one year of support. Individuals can receive only one Faculty Innovation Fund award per career. Applicants for a Faculty Innovation Fund award cannot receive overlapping funding from other internal awards focused on similar projects (e.g., Center for Global Health, Bloomberg American Health Initiative). 

All areas of scientific inquiry are eligible for this award. However, two sources of funding are specific to cancer research; please specify if you would like your application to be considered for either of these:  

• Ho-Ching Yang Memorial Faculty Award. Supports projects involved in cancer research that have particular importance to improving the health of populations.

• The Richard L. Gelb Cancer Prevention Fund. Supports research efforts in cancer prevention that assist in translating those findings into practical strategies and programs.  

The Gustave Martin Award for Faculty Innovation in HIV Research is provided annually through a BSPH endowment. However, this award is administered through the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) as a Faculty Development Award, with funding of up to $50,000 and due dates annually in August. While HIV-focused research will still be considered in this current call for applications, investigators should briefly indicate the rationale for applying for this award as opposed to CFAR’s award.

How do I apply?

Please email a pdf, with all materials compiled into a single document, to BSPH.research@jhu.edu. Please put your name in the file name. The application deadline is Sunday, April 21, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EST. 

What is the application format?

The body of the application can be no longer than five single-spaced pages (11-point Arial font with narrow 0.5-inch margins) and contain the following: abstract, introduction, specific aims, methods, and impact. Preliminary data is not required for this application, but, if available, relevant preliminary data may be included in the introduction section. The significance section should include how this work will aid in your career development as an independent investigator, what is novel about it, how it will serve to move your field forward, and its relevance to supporting your research trajectory and future grant submissions.

The application should also include an NIH-format biographical sketch, a brief proposed budget, other support page (including pending applications), tables/figures (two-page limit), and references as appropriate. A letter of support from the department chair should indicate that the faculty member is supported by the department toward a career development trajectory to advance their research contributions. These latter materials are not included in the limit of five pages.

If you are submitting a revised application from a prior round, please clearly indicate how the application was modified. If the proposal is part of a larger grant, there should be a clear explanation of the larger grant and how this proposal fits into it. In writing your application, don’t try to collapse the description of an R01 into five pages. Avoid jargon. Instead, target your application to a broader audience than your specific field so that reviewers, who span the breadth of expertise in the School, can understand what you plan to do and why. 

How are awardees selected?

Applications will be reviewed by a committee of senior faculty members. Notably, reviewers come from diverse disciplines and will review all applications together. Award recipients and non-selected applicants will be contacted shortly after the review meeting anticipated to occur in May. Funded awards can begin as early as July 1, 2024.

Best,

Greg

Gregory D. Kirk, MD, PhD ’03, MPH ’95

Vice Dean for Research

Professor of Epidemiology, Medicine & Oncology

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Dear Colleagues, 

Through a Johns Hopkins University endowment established in 1960 in memory of Judge and Mrs. Samuel Jordon Graham, the fund supports fundamental research conducted jointly in the Schools of Public Health and Medicine. For 2024, the fund will support two post-doctoral fellows (PDF) working on foundational or translational research integrating perspectives from both medicine and public health.  

The Schools of Public Health and Medicine at Johns Hopkins represent global leaders in biomedical and public health research with faculty expertise spanning a broad range of disciplines. Tackling complex health and disease problems requires integrating deep fundamental knowledge with innovative problem-solving approaches. As such, an interdisciplinary team science approach holds promise for accelerating the translation of innovative foundational science towards real-world clinical or public health applications. The premise in support of this award is that co-mentoring early-stage investigators with the integration of public health and medical perspectives will expand the candidate’s training experiences and increase the likelihood of a career trajectory with translational impact. Further, mentoring is bidirectional, and faculty experts engaged in mentoring trainees whose work incorporates complementary perspectives may additionally expand the faculty’s research activity. 

Key Features: 

• Postdoctoral fellows should have a primary fellowship appointment in one of the 10 departments in the Bloomberg School of Public Health (BSPH). For individuals in clinical/training fellowships, we would suggest formalizing the relationship with a parallel appointment in a BSPH department (i.e., concurrently as a clinical fellow in SOM and research fellow in SPH). Individuals without a planned formal PDF appointment in SPH may be considered with strong justification and clear delineation of the SPH faculty mentoring relationship. Co-mentorship of the postdoctoral fellow by a faculty member from BSPH and the School of Medicine is required. Identified mentors are not required to have previously worked with applicants. The formation of new research partnerships between co-mentors would be considered favorably by the review committee.  

• Provides up to $50,000, which can be used at awardee’s discretion for salary, health care fees, or research-related expenses. Recipients of the award will not be considered for renewal or reapplication for a new fellowship. However, recognizing that the projects and training proposed may take longer than one year duration, the allocated funds may be spent over a two-year period.   

Eligibility: 

• Highly talented and motivated postdoctoral fellows with interest in foundational or translational research integrating both medical and public health perspectives are encouraged to apply. We encourage applicants from diverse educational and underrepresented backgrounds to apply. 

• Candidates are not required to have a current postdoctoral position at Johns Hopkins University but will be required to be eligible for and able to initiate an official postdoctoral fellow position by September 1, 2024. Both MD and foreign postdocs are eligible to apply.  

• The department of the mentor’s primary appointment will be considered in determining eligibility; jointly appointed faculty will be considered as representative from their primary rather than jointly affiliated department. Non-tenure track faculty in either BSPH or SOM are eligible to serve as mentors as long as these research individuals have the requisite expertise to substantively contribute to the research and mentoring program. 

Application instructions can be accessed here: 

Applications should be submitted via email to: BSPH.research@jhu.edu by 5 p.m. ET on April 3, 2024.  

Applications will be reviewed by a committee of faculty from both Schools. Selected applicants will be informed in May 2024, with an expected start date by September 1, 2024. 

We look forward to supporting outstanding postdoctoral fellows in collaborative research with this new award. 

Best, Greg  

Gregory D. Kirk, MD, PhD ’03, MPH ’95 

Vice Dean for Research 

Professor of Epidemiology, Medicine & Oncology 

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health  

Dear Colleagues,

To continue advancing our research@BSPH Ecosystem initiative, we are introducing the next installment of Grants360° -- a series of engaging and immersive sessions designed to elevate our research community's expertise in securing grant funding.

We are delighted to invite you to an upcoming panel discussion featuring recipients of funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A prominent player in both domestic and global public health, the CDC plays a significant role in funding our research endeavors, contributing to an active BSPH portfolio exceeding $50 million. Nevertheless, the number of CDC-funded investigators at the School is relatively low, and the CDC funding process is distinct compared to other federal funders. Considering the keen interest among our faculty, we've assembled a panel of recipients who will share their insights on the unique attributes of this funding source, how to navigate the proposal process, and the impact of CDC funding on their research and professional journeys.

Mark your calendars for this session, scheduled for Tuesday, October 24th, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm on Zoom, via this link. Please note that all sessions are recorded and accessible on our Grants360° wiki page for your convenience. Should you have any inquiries or require further information, please don't hesitate to contact us at BSPH.research@jhu.edu. 

Best,

Greg

Dear Colleagues,

 To continue advancing the research@BSPH Ecosystem initiative, we are introducing the next installment of Grants360°. This program comprises a series of immersive sessions, thought-provoking panels, and engaging workshops, all designed to elevate our research community's proficiency in securing grant funding.

 We are excited to extend an invitation to a panel discussion featuring awardees of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. With an endowment of more than $70 billion, the Gates Foundation occupies a paramount role within the global health landscape, impacting critical domains such as gender equality, immunizations, nutrition, maternal and newborn health, and beyond. Recognizing the considerable interest among our faculty, we have curated a panel of recipients to share their insights on understanding the distinctive attributes of this funding source, navigating the proposal process, and characterizing the impact on their research and professional trajectories.

 This session will be held on Tuesday, October 10 from 10-11 am on Zoom. Please join through this link. All sessions are recorded and uploaded to our Grants360° wiki page. For questions, please reach out to us at BSPH.research@jhu.edu. We look forward to your prospective attendance!  

Best,

Greg 

 To all Animal Researchers at JHU,

As you likely recall from our message last year, Research Animal Resources (RAR) has for many years balanced its budget by aggressive cost containment measures, renegotiation of vendor contracts, and shifting priorities wherever possible.  In the face of continuous increases in prices for essential supplies, services, and labor and a growing deficit during COVID-19, JHU elected not to pass these costs onto researchers for fiscal years 2021-2022, instead subsidizing the animal program budget. Despite increasing last year for the first time in over a decade, JHU per diems remain lower than at the majority of our peer institutions, and the costs associated with maintaining one of the nation’s largest and most varied animal research programs continue to increase.

Beginning August 1, 2023, per diems for animal care administered by JHU Research Animal Resources (RAR) will increase by 15%.  See the list of new rates for commonly used categories.  Technical service fees will see similar increases, though the exact percentage will vary by line item.  Additionally, a new animal ordering fee will be instituted, with a $30 fee assessed for each order of rodents or non-mammalian species, and a $50 fee for all other animals.

Ongoing analysis of animal research costs will determine increases in subsequent years, though further increases are anticipated annually for the next few years.  We understand that the specifics of this year’s increase are coming with little lead time – we will do all that we can to determine and publicize future increases as early as possible.

To address any questions you may have regarding these changes, we will be holding town hall events over the next 2 weeks.  These meetings will be held virtually from 11-12 on Friday 7/21 and Wednesday 7/26 at the zoom link below.  If you are unable to attend and have questions, please feel free to contact Eric Hutchinson at ehutchi8@jh.edu  

https://jhjhm.zoom.us/j/99692987455

Meeting ID: 996 9298 7455

One tap mobile

+13017158592,,99692987455#

Thank you,
Eric Hutchinson, DVM, DACLAM
Attending Veterinarian and Assistant Vice Provost for Animal Research, Johns Hopkins University
Director, Research Animal Resources
Assistant Professor, Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology

Denis Wirtz
Vice Provost for Research
T.H. Smoot Professor
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Pathology, Oncology, INBT
Director, Physical-Sciences Oncology Center
Johns Hopkins University
wirtz@jhu.edu

Dear Colleagues,

As part of the research@BSPH Ecosystem initiative, we are introducing a Grantsmanship Series that falls under our Grants360° strategy – a series of sessions, panels and workshops to enhance our research community’s pursuit of grant funding.

We will be hosting experienced grant writers to illuminate the key steps in effective grant writing and invite you to learn from our experts. A well-written grant proposal that clearly articulates your project's goals, objectives, methods, outcomes, and aligns with the funding organization's priorities and criteria, is more likely to be awarded funding. However, an important first step in grant success is understanding how to navigate the system and how to target your ideas to receptive reviewers. 

We are launching this series focused on Navigating NIH Grant Opportunities, and I will be leading this initial session. My research career has very much focused on NIH grants, having been continuously funded for 18 years and PI on grants from 5 NIH institutes with funding approaching $75 million USD. In this session, we will review available resources to identify NIH funding opportunities, compare success rates, evaluate and target reviewer panels, know what comparable projects have received funding, and strategize for maximizing your likelihood of success.   

If you would like to learn more about NIH opportunities, please join us on Tuesday, May 23 from 10-11am on Zoom through this link.  We especially encourage early-stage investigators and those new to NIH funding to attend. If participants have a draft specific aims page, they would be willing to share, we will use a few illustrative examples to walk through this process. Feel free to send your example to BSPH.research@jhu.edu, prior to the workshop or reach out to us at that email for any additional questions. All sessions are recorded and uploaded to our Grants360° wiki page.

 Best, Greg

Gregory D. Kirk, MD, PhD ’03, MPH ’95 

Vice Dean for Research 

Professor of Epidemiology, Medicine & Oncology

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Dear Colleagues,

The Faculty Innovation Fund supports the research of full-time, early-stage faculty with a primary appointment in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In prior years, these awards were limited to tenure-track assistant professors. Now, both assistant professors and assistant scientists are eligible. The goal of this fund is to stimulate innovative research projects that will strengthen the faculty member’s research trajectory. The deadline for this round of Faculty Innovation Fund applications is June 4, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Application information and other details are provided below.  

 The 2022 Faculty Innovation Fund awardees were Sachini Bandara (MH), Zabir Hasan (IH), and Utthara Nayar (BMB). A listing of previous years’ awardees is available here.

What are the Faculty Innovation Fund awards?

These awards are for up to $35,000, and generally two to four applications are awarded annually. Pilot, formative and development studies that can be leveraged into competitive grant applications are the focus of these awards. Applications for collaborative projects are permitted if both PIs fulfill eligibility criteria. Awards can be used to purchase equipment or supplies, pay student or staff salaries, and support other research needs. Salary support is permitted for up to 10% effort.

 Awards are for one year of support. Individuals can receive only one Faculty Innovation Fund award per career. Applicants for a Faculty Innovation Fund award cannot receive overlapping funding from other internal awards focused on similar projects (e.g., Center for Global Health, Bloomberg American Health Initiative).

 All areas of scientific inquiry are eligible for this award. However, two sources of funding are specific to cancer research; please specify if you would like your application to be considered for either of these:  

• Ho-Ching Yang Memorial Faculty Award. Supports projects involved in cancer research that have particular importance to improving the health of populations.

• The Richard L. Gelb Cancer Prevention Fund. Supports research efforts in cancer prevention that assist in translating those findings into practical strategies and programs.  

The Gustave Martin Award for Faculty Innovation in HIV Research is provided annually through a BSPH endowment. However, this award is administered through the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) as a Faculty Development Award, with funding of up to $50,000 and due dates annually in August. While HIV-focused research will still be considered in this current call for applications, investigators should briefly indicate the rationale for applying for this award as opposed to CFAR’s award.

How do I apply?

Please email a pdf, with all materials compiled into a single document, to BSPH.research@jhu.edu. Please put your name in the filename. The application deadline is Sunday, June 4, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. EST. 

What is the application format?

The body of the application can be no longer than five single-spaced pages (11-point Arial font with narrow 0.5-inch margins) and contain the following: abstract, introduction, specific aims, methods, and significance. Preliminary data is not required for this application, but, if available, relevant preliminary data may be included in the introduction section. The significance section should include how this work will aid in your career development as an independent investigator, what is novel about it, how it will serve to move your field forward, and its relevance to supporting your research trajectory and future grant submissions.

The application should also include an NIH-format biographical sketch, a brief proposed budget, other support page (including pending applications), tables/figures (two-page limit), and references as appropriate. A letter of support from the department chair should indicate that the faculty member is supported by the department (and sponsoring faculty members in the case of non-tenure track applicants) toward a career development trajectory to advance their research contributions. These latter materials are not included in the limit of five pages.

If you are submitting a revised application from a prior round, please clearly indicate how the application was modified. If the proposal is part of a larger grant, there should be a clear explanation of the larger grant and how this proposal fits into it. In writing your application, don’t try to collapse the description of an R01 into five pages. Avoid jargon. Instead, target your application to a broader audience than your specific field so that reviewers, who span the breadth of expertise in the School, can understand what you plan to do and why. 

How are awardees selected?

Applications will be reviewed by a committee of senior faculty members. Notably, reviewers come from diverse disciplines and will review all applications together. Award recipients and non-selected applicants will be contacted shortly after the review meeting anticipated to occur in mid-June. Funded awards can begin as early as July 1, 2023.

Best, Greg

Gregory D. Kirk, MD, PhD ’03, MPH ’95
Vice Dean for Research
Professor of Epidemiology, Medicine & Oncology
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

 Dear Colleagues,

As part of the research@BSPH Ecosystem initiative, we’ve initiated Grants360° – a series of sessions, panels and workshops to enhance our research community’s pursuit of grant funding. We have launched a series of sessions devoted to exploring funding mechanisms for which there is notably less awareness than traditional R01 and other types of grants. Our premise is that by hearing how individuals have successfully developed a proposal for a specific funding mechanism, others can learn and leverage this experience to the benefit of the broader community.

We are hosting a panel of F31 and R36 awardees and are inviting you to participate in this workshop. Both programs support competitive dissertation research for promising doctoral candidates. They are designed for doctoral students with a clearly-defined dissertation project and mentoring team. These awards will generally provide funds for stipend or for research projects. If these grants fit your interests, please join us and learn from those who've already been successful in obtaining this funding! Our panel of awardees will share their experiences in navigating the proposal process, the unique aspects of this funding mechanism, and how this award impacted their research and career.

This workshop will be held on Wednesday, April 26 from 11-12 pm on Zoom. You can join through this link. All sessions are recorded and uploaded to our Grants360° wiki page. For questions, please reach out to us at BSPH.research@jhu.edu.

Best, 

Greg

Dear Colleagues,

As part of the research@BSPH Ecosystem initiative, we’ve initiated Grants360° – a series of sessions, panels and workshops to enhance our research community’s pursuit of grant funding. We have launched a series of sessions devoted to exploring funding mechanisms for which there is notably less awareness than traditional R01 and other types of grants. Our premise is that by hearing how individuals have successfully developed a proposal for a specific funding mechanism, others can learn and leverage this experience to the benefit of the broader community.

We are hosting a panel of High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program awardees and invite you to participate in the discussion. These funding mechanisms were originally created by NIH with the Director’s Pioneer Award, to stimulate and support highly innovative ideas in contrast to incremental research objectives. In general, these applications involve presenting your creative ideas without specific aims. In support of flexibility to pursue evolving ideas, detailed budgets are not required and the funds may be provided in a lump sum in the first year of the award. If these opportunities fit your career stage and interests, please join us and learn from those who've already been successful in obtaining this funding! Our panel of awardees will share their experiences in navigating the program proposal process, the unique aspects of this funding mechanism and how this award impacted their research and career.

This session will be held on Wednesday, March 29 from 10-11am on Zoom. You can join through this link. All sessions are recorded and uploaded to our Grants360° wiki page. For questions, please reach out to us at BSPH.research@jhu.edu.

Best,

Greg

Hello!

Our popular Data Bytes lunch and learn series is back! Come join us during lunchtime on Mondays to learn something exciting about data! Here is our Data Bytes series this semester:

Introduction to the Unix Command Line

Monday, February 27th | 12 – 1pm
Virtual – Register Here

Join us as we take a Byte out of the command line, learn what the command line is, why it’s useful, and learn some basic Unix commands that will improve your computational research skills!

************

Finding and Using Secondary Data in ICPSR

Monday, March 13th | 12 – 1pm
Virtual – Register Here

The ICPSR (Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research) is the world’s largest collection of social science data covering topics as diverse as health care, aging, substance abuse, mental health, public policy, education and more. Learn how to use the ICPSR to find social science data for use in original data analysis.

************

Command Line Wizardry

Monday, March 27th | 12 – 1pm
Virtual – Register Here

Take your command line skills to the next level! Learn commands for data cleaning that can run on millions of records in matter of seconds. Learn how you can combine commands into powerful workflows using pipes and how to apply those workflows automatically to many different files using loops.

************

Introduction to Data Visualization in Tableau

Monday, April 10th | 12 – 1pm
Virtual – Register Here

Tableau Public is a free data visualization software that makes it easy to create powerful interactive dashboards. Join us during this Data Bytes session to learn how to upload your own data to Tableau, visualize your data with multiple chart types including bar charts, scatter plots, line charts, maps, and treemaps, and how to publish and share your dashboard.

Chen Chiu, Ph.D. (she/her)

Sr. Data Management Consultant

JHU Data Services

Join our mailing list to learn about upcoming Data Services events!

Use DMPTool to write your Data Management Plan

U.S. federal agencies are stressing the importance of providing public access to scholarly data and publications resulting from federally funded research by implementing new policies and recommendations for data sharing.

Why Encourage Data Sharing?

Data sharing enables research results to be rapidly validated, securely preserved, and used in further studies. Requiring public access to data and publications represents research funder’s efforts to improve access to information and increase public trust in science. Sharing data openly also aligns with Hopkins’ mission to “bring the benefits of discovery to the world” by offering freely available, equitable access to the important research done at Hopkins.

NIH and New Data Sharing Policy

NIH, one of JHU’s largest research funders, has instituted a new Data Management & Sharing Policy set to take effect on January 25^th, 2023.  The policy encourages the sharing of research data to the greatest extent possible. NIH requires researchers to submit a Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMS Plan) as part of the proposal, which discusses how they will manage and share their data. The Johns Hopkins community has published guides to help JHU researchers meet the requirements of the new NIH policy.

• Johns Hopkins University Research Administration (JHU Research Administration)

• NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy Guide (Welch Medical Library and Sheridan Libraries)

• NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan support (JHU Data Services)

Where to Get Help

NIH DMS Plans

• Use the DMPTool to draft your Plan

• Request feedback on your plan from JHU Data Services.

Data Sharing Repositories

• Email JHU Data Services for advice on an appropriate data sharing repository

• If you have data that can be open to the public and no disciplinary repository exists for your data, you can use the Johns Hopkins Research Data Repository.

Open Access Publications

• Nancy Shin, Scholarly Communications Librarian, Welch Medical Library, Medical Campus

• Laurel Crawford, Manager of Collection Strategies, Sheridan Libraries, Homewood Campus

Here are a few data-related announcements, and the Spring workshops schedule and registration.  

NIH data management and sharing support 

Do you have an NIH grant proposal due on/after January 25^th, 2023? NIH now requires researchers to submit data management and sharing plans with their grant proposals. If you don’t know how to draft one, visit our NIH DMSP Support page to learn more. In addition, Data Services can review your DMSP and provide professional feedback within 1-2 business days. 

Love Data Week 2023 

Love Data Week is an international celebration of data hosted by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). This year’s theme is Data as an Agent of Change.  JHU Data Services will be hosting a number of workshops and presentations along this theme. Come learn a new skill, or learn what data resources are available to you at JHU! Check out our Love Data Week 2023 offerings here!  

Spring workshops 

o   GIS and Mapping 

o   Data Management 

o   De-identification 

o   Introductory to Coding 

o   Data Cleaning, Manipulation and Visualization 

o   Data Bytes (coming soon in March) 

Please contact Data Services via dataservices@jhu.edu if you have any questions. Or visit our website to learn more about us! 

 Resource Links

https://dataservices.library.jhu.edu

Join our mailing list to learn about upcoming Data Services events!

Use DMPTool to write your Data Management Plan

Visit our Data Management and Sharing Policy wiki page for more information

Dear Colleagues,

Through a Johns Hopkins University endowment established in 1960 in memory of Judge and Mrs. Samuel Jordon Graham, the fund supports fundamental research conducted jointly in the Schools of Public Health and Medicine. For 2023, the fund will support two post-doctoral fellows (PDF) working on foundational or translational research integrating perspectives from both medicine and public health.

The Schools of Public Health and Medicine at Johns Hopkins represent global leaders in biomedical and public health research with faculty expertise spanning a broad range of disciplines. Tackling complex health and disease problems requires integrating deep fundamental knowledge with innovative problem-solving approaches. As such, an interdisciplinary team science approach holds promise for accelerating the translation of innovative foundational science towards real-world clinical or public health applications. The premise in support of this award is that co-mentoring early-stage investigators with the integration of public health and medical perspectives will expand the candidate’s training experiences and increase the likelihood of a career trajectory with translational impact. Further, mentoring is bidirectional, and faculty experts engaged in mentoring trainees whose work incorporates complementary perspectives may additionally expand the faculty’s research activity.

Key Features:

• The postdoctoral fellow will be required to have a primary fellowship appointment in one of the 10 departments in the Bloomberg School of Public Health (BSPH).

• Co-mentorship of the postdoctoral fellow by a faculty member from BSPH and the School of Medicine is required. Identified mentors are not required to have previously worked with applicants. The formation of new research partnerships between co-mentors would be considered favorably by the review committee.

• Provides up to $50,000, which can be used at the awardee’s discretion for salary, health care fees, or research-related expenses. Recipients of the award will not be considered for renewal or reapplication for a new fellowship. However, recognizing that the projects and training proposed may take longer than one-year duration, the allocated funds may be spent over a two-year period.  

Eligibility:

• Highly talented and motivated postdoctoral fellows with interest in foundational or translational research integrating both medical and public health perspectives are encouraged to apply. We encourage applicants from diverse educational and underrepresented backgrounds to apply.

• Candidates are not required to have a current postdoctoral position at Johns Hopkins University but will be required to be eligible for and able to initiate an official postdoctoral fellow position by September 1, 2023. Both MD and foreign postdocs are eligible to apply.

• The department of the mentor’s primary appointment will be considered in determining eligibility; jointly appointed faculty will be considered as representative from their primary rather than jointly affiliated department. Non-tenure track faculty in either BSPH or SOM are eligible to serve as mentors as long as these research individuals have the requisite expertise to substantively contribute to the research and mentoring program.

Application instructions are below. Applications should be submitted via email to: BSPH.research@jhu.edu by 5 p.m. ET on March 17, 2023.

Applications will be reviewed by a committee of faculty from both Schools. Selected applicants will be informed in May 2023, with an expected start date by September 1, 2023.

We look forward to supporting outstanding postdoctoral fellows in collaborative research with this new award.

Best, Greg

Gregory D. Kirk, MD, PhD ’03, MPH ’95
Vice Dean for Research
Professor of Epidemiology, Medicine & Oncology
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Dear colleagues,

 As the result of a generous gift, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (BSPH) is pleased to announce a call for applications for the Shikani/El-Hibri Prize for Discovery & Innovation.

 This $10,000 prize has been awarded annually for excellence in the laboratory sciences and for discoveries that have the potential to significantly advance biomedical science and translate into improvements in patient care or the public’s health. 2021’s recipient was Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena, PhD (MMI) for his recent paper “Clock genes and environmental cues coordinate Anopheles pheromone synthesis, swarming, and mating” that elucidated the molecular genetic controls of mosquito mating. His paper was published in Science and can be found here.

For 2023, the focus and criteria for the award will recognize impactful laboratory-based discovery. Prior winners include:

2021   Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena, PhD (MMI)
2020   Emily Gurley, PhD (EPI)
2019   Anthony Leung, PhD (BMB)
2018   George Dimopoulos, PhD (MMI)\
2017   Daniela Drummond-Barbosa, PhD (BMB)
2016   Andrew Pekosz, PhD (BMB)  
2015   Scott Bailey, PhD (BMB)
2014   Jiou Wang, PhD (BMB)

Eligibility is limited to BSPH professorial or scientist faculty members with a primary appointment in the School who conduct basic research in the laboratory-based departments (i.e., BMB, MMI, EHE, IH, PFRH & EPI). The prize will be awarded for a discovery that is either currently in press or has been published within the last 2 years (2020 to 2022). The relevant work must have been performed while at BSPH. Technology transfer activities (e.g., patents) conducted within the same timeframe are also eligible. The recipient will be determined by a committee of peers and based on the discovery’s significance, innovation, and potential for public health impact. Early and mid-career investigators are encouraged to apply but the award is open to all ranks.

To be considered for this award, applications must include:

1. A nomination letter from a colleague at Johns Hopkins University (any division). This letter should comment both on the qualities of the investigator and on the nature of the finding(s) and the potential for translational impact.

2. A description (2 pages, narrow margins, Arial 11 font, inclusive of any figures) of the discovery or innovation, written by the investigator, that includes the background leading up to the discovery, other relevant circumstances, information on how this finding has or will influence their subsequent research, and address the broader clinical or public health impact. This description should avoid jargon and acronyms and be written to be understood by a broader academic audience.

3. A copy of the manuscript detailing the finding(s).

4. An NIH biosketch.

  To submit the application:

1. Documents should be compiled into a single pdf.

2. The application should be submitted by the department chair with a brief note in the email confirming support for the application. There is no limit on the number of submissions per department.

3. Applications should be emailed to the Vice Dean for Research at BSPH.research@jhu.edu

There will be one award this year. The due date for this round of submissions is February 17, 2023. Awardees will be notified by April 2023 and must agree to meet with the sponsors of the award upon request. Investigators may apply in multiple years but may only receive the prize once.

Best, Greg

Gregory D. Kirk, MD, MPH, PhD
Vice Dean for Research
Professor of Epidemiology, Medicine & Oncology

Dear Colleagues,

 As Vice Dean of Research, much of our effort at the school level is to try to promote collaboration and leverage the substantive expertise across our diverse research community. My team and I recently kicked off our research@BSPH Ecosystem initiative with a virtual event that introduced the campaign and announced a number of tools for research teams. As part of this effort, we’ve initiated Grants360 – a series of sessions, panels and workshops to enhance our research community’s pursuit of grant funding. We have launched a series of sessions devoted to exploring funding mechanisms for which there is notably less awareness than traditional R01 and other types of grants. Our premise is that by hearing how individuals have successfully developed a proposal for a specific funding mechanism, others can learn and leverage this experience to the benefit of the broader community.

 We are hosting a panel of Program Project Grant (PPG) awardees and are inviting you to participate in the discussion. PPGs are a specific funding mechanism that generally supports a multidisciplinary team on a research program which has a specific objective or theme. A PPG is typically directed toward a range of problems while having a central research focus, contrary to the usually narrow lens of a traditional research project. There will typically be multiple projects and several cores to support the collaborative work. If this grant fits your career stage and interests, please join us and learn from those who've already been successful in obtaining this funding! Our panel of program awardees will share their experiences in navigating the program proposal process, the unique aspects of PPGs and how this award impacted their research and career.

This session will be held on Wednesday, January 25 from 10-11am on Zoom. You can join through this link. For questions, please reach out to us at BSPH.research@jhu.edu. Visit our grants 360 wiki page to learn more .

Best, 

Greg