Funding Opportunities in Environmental Health Sciences

1
Funding Opportunities in Environmental Health
Sciences

• National Institute of Environmental Health
  Sciences
• 26 March 2007
• Mary Gant
• NIEHS

2
Public Health Service Act The general purpose of
the National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences is the conduct and support of research,
training, health information dissemination, and
other programs with respect to factors in the
environment that affect human health, directly or
indirectly.
3

• Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization
• Act of 1986
• Established at NIEHS a university-based
  multidisciplinary grants program to fund research
  on the following
• Technologies to detect and trace the movement of
  hazardous substances in the environment
• Biological, chemical, and physical methods to
  reduce the amount and toxicity of hazardous
  substances in the environment
• Health effects of hazardous substances and
  methods to assess the risks to health presented
  by hazardous substances

4
Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act of
1986

• Established at NIEHS a grants program to train
  workers who are or may be engaged in activities
  related to hazardous waste removal or containment
  or emergency response.
• Grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations
  that demonstrate experience in implementing and
  operating worker health and safety training
  programs and that demonstrate an ability to reach
  target populations of workers.

5
Longstanding Extramural Program Strengths

• Basic Biology
• Oxidative stress
• DNA Repair
• Apoptosis
• Gene regulation
• Mutagenesis
• Endocrine disruption
• Metabolism
• Receptor Biology
• Signal transduction
• Development

• Public Health
• Lead and IQ
• Air Pollution and Mortality
• Pesticides and Reproduction
• Arsenic and Cancer
• Mercury and Neurodevelopment
• Aflatoxin and Cancer

6
TOP PRIORITYINVESTIGATOR-INITIATED RESEARCH!

• NIEHS recognizes the importance of
  investigator-initiated research and a balance
  between this and targeted programs. Our goal is
  to fund at least 20 of the R01 applications.

7
724
711
720
716
715
698
645
565
505
437
390
8
NIEHS 2006-2011 Strategic PlanNew Frontiers in
Environmental Sciences and Human Health
9
The Strategic Plan in Action

• .
• Build integrated environmental health research
  programs to address the cross-cutting problems in
  human biology and human disease
• DISCOVER (Disease Investigation for Specialized
  Clinically Oriented Ventures in Environmental
  Research) brings together basic, clinical, and
  population-based scientists to conduct
  integrative research programs
• Interdisciplinary Partnerships in Environmental
  Health Sciences
• Develop sensitive markers of environmental
  exposure, early (preclinical) biological response
  and genetic susceptibility.
• Genes and Environment Initiative Launched by NIH
  to accelerate the understanding of how genetic
  and environmental risk factors influence health
  and disease
• Environmental Sensors for Personal Exposure
  Assessment
• Biological Response Indicators of Environmental
  Stress Centers
• Biological Response Indicators of Environmental
  Stress
• Use environmental toxicants to understand basic
  mechanisms in human biology
• Comparative Biology Elucidation of Environmental
  Pathways and Susceptibility
• Environmental Influences on Epigenetic Regulation

10
The Strategic Plan in Action

• .
• Recruit and Train the next generation of
  environmental health scientists
• ONES (The Outstanding New Environmental Scientist
  Award) to advance young researchers through the
  award their first R01 with special features
• Short Term Educational Experiences for Research
  (STEER) in the Environmental Health Sciences for
  Undergraduate and High School Students
• Administrative Supplements for undergraduate and
  high school student participation in NIEHS-funded
  research projects.
• Expand the role of clinicians in environmental
  health sciences
• Institutional Patient-oriented career development
  programs in the environmental health sciences
• DISCOVER Program
• Improve and expand community-linked
  research/build a capacity to pursue research in
  global environmental health
• Administrative supplements to NIEHS grants to
  support young investigators from developing
  countries

11
The Strategic Plan in Action

• Foster the development of partnerships between
  the NIEHS and other NIH institutes, national and
  international research agencies, . . . . . to
  improve human health
• Manufactured Nanomaterials Physico-chemical
  Principles of Biocompatibility and Toxicityjoint
  program with NCI, NEI, NHGRI, NIGMS, NIDCR,
  NIOSH, and USEPA
• Combating Autism Act NIEHS will join with NIMH,
  NINDS, and other agencies to implement the
  provisions calling for an expansion of research
  on autism spectrum disorder including research on
  the cause, diagnosis or rule out, early
  detection, prevention, services, supports,
  intervention, and treatment.

12
Outstanding New Environmental Scientist (ONES)
Award
13
Who does this program target?

• Highly selective for most talented new scientists
• Long term commitment to Environmental Health
  Sciences research
• lt 8 years postdoctoral experience
• Assistant, Research Asst. Prof.
• Evidence of independent productivity and
  facilities
• No prior R01 support
• Research oriented towards specific human
  disease/dysfunction/pathophysiologic condition or
  biological process and using environmentally
  relevant toxicants

14
What are the unique features?

• Statement of Career Goals
• Discussion of research experience and
  achievements
• External Advisory Committee
• Institutional Commitment to PI (minimum 80
  research time)
• Separate budget for equipment and career
  enhancement

15
Continue Development of Integrative Science

• Focus on human disease
• Integration of physician-scientists into the
  environmental health sciences
• Improved measures of exposures
• Using exposures as tools to understand underlying
  biology

16
New NIEHS Initiatives

• Interdisciplinary Partnerships in Environmental
  Health Sciences (R01/R21)
• Disease Investigation Through Specialized
  Clinically-Oriented Ventures in Environmental
  Research (DISCOVER--P50)

17
Interdisciplinary Partnerships Vision

• Foster scientific collaboration between clinical
  and basic investigators.
• Accelerate the application of basic research
  results into the clinical setting.
• Improve human health in those areas where
  environmental factors are known or expected to
  influence the development or progression of human
  disease.

18
Interdisciplinary Partnerships Charge

• Focus on an environmentally influenced disease or
  dysfunction
• Support or establish a research partnership
  between basic and clinical investigators
• Create an interdisciplinary research approach
  that incorporates clinical and basic studies to
  address disease etiology, pathogenesis,
  susceptibility, progression and/or prognosis

19
DISCOVER Program Vision

• Accelerate the application of knowledge derived
  from basic research into the clinical or public
  health setting with the goal of improving human
  health.
• Create opportunities to develop and apply novel
  approaches for the diagnosis, prognosis,
  prevention, and treatment/intervention of
  environmentally influenced diseases.

20
Discover Program Charge

• Develop an comprehensive theme that is based on a
  specific environmentally influenced disease or
  dysfunction.
• Create an interdisciplinary research approach.
• Incorporate clinical and basic mechanistic
  studies
• Address disease etiology, pathogenesis,
  susceptibility, progression, and/or prognosis.
• Develop research projects that individually are
  scientifically meritorious and together display a
  high degree of integration and synergy. 
• Develop a plan to facilitate knowledge transfer
  to clinical and/or public health practice.

21
Redirection of NIEHS Institutional Training
Grants/T32
22
Refocusing of institutional training
programs/T32

• Training for academic research
• Multidisciplinary and Interdisciplinary Training
  
• Integration of Basic, Clinical, Computational,
  Public Health research within programs
• Focus on human biology and disease
• Relevant environmental exposures to mission area

23
Looking Ahead . . . . . .
24
Whats in the future?

• Initiatives in new research areas
• Aging and the environment with the National
  Institute on Aging
• Co-factors modifying disease trajectory with
  multiple institutes
• Exposure sciences/personalized measures of
  exposure
• Complex human diseases
• Neurodegenerative diseases, reproductive
  disorders, chronic lung disease, specific cancers
• Global environmental healthpublic/private
  partnerships
• focus on a major problem that crosses borders and
  build capacity
• Innovative funding mechanisms
• Multiple PI awards
• Linked awardsfusion grants
• New career development mechanisms

25
www.niehs.nih.govClick on Extramural
Research Programs for Funding
Opportunities Program Officers and
Contacts Whats New Access to Information on
All Projects Funded by NIEHS
26
(No Transcript)
27
(No Transcript)