|
|
 |
|
<< back to the 5 Loan Repayment Programs
|
Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from
Disadvantaged Backgrounds
NIH Guide Notice
The Clinical Research LRP for Individuals from Disadvantaged
Backgrounds is a vital component of our nation's efforts to
attract health professionals to careers in clinical research.
In exchange for a two-year commitment to your research career,
NIH will repay up to $35,000 per year of your qualified
repayable educational debt, pay an additional 39% of the
repayments to cover your Federal taxes, and may reimburse
state taxes that result from these payments.
To participate, you must be a U.S. citizen (or U.S. national or permanent resident) and have a M.D., Ph.D., Psy.D., Pharm. D., D.O., D.D.S., D.M.D., D.P.M. , D.C. , N.D., or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited institution. [NOTE: Applicants with a doctorate of veterinary medicine (D.V.M.) are not eligible for the Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds unless they also hold one of the degrees listed above]. You must conduct clinical research for 50% or more of your total level of effort for an average of at least 20 hours week during each quarterly service period for two years (that is, a minimum of 240 hours based on a 12-week quarter, or a minimum of 260 hours based on a 13-week quarter) and it must be funded by a domestic nonprofit or U.S. Government (Federal, state or local) entity. Also, the research must not be prohibited by Federal law or NIH policy. [Click here for additional eligibility criteria.]
NIH defines "clinical research" as follows:
|
|
| "Patient-oriented clinical
research conducted with human subjects, or research on
the causes and consequences of disease in human
populations involving material of human origin
(such as tissue specimens and cognitive phenomena)
for which an investigator or colleague directly
interacts with human subjects in an outpatient or
inpatient setting to clarify a problem in human
physiology, pathophysiology or disease, or
epidemiologic or behavioral studies, outcomes
research or health services research, or
developing new technologies, therapeutic
interventions, or clinical trials."
|
|
For this program, "an individual from a disadvantaged background"
is defined according to low family income levels set by the U.S.
Bureau of the Census - as published in the Federal Register.
To meet this low-income requirement you must demonstrate your
disadvantaged status by submitting (1) a written statement from
your former school(s) where you qualified for Federal
disadvantaged assistance, (2) verification of receipt of loans
from either the Health Professions Student Loans (HPSL) or Loans
for Disadvantaged Student Program, or (3) verification of a
scholarship from the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services under the Scholarship for Individuals with Exceptional
Financial Need. For more
detail on eligibility requirements click here.
The NIH Division of Loan Repayment screens applications for
completeness and eligibility. Applications are then forwarded
to the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities
for review.
In evaluating the application, peer review groups comprised of
non-NIH scientists are asked to consider the following criteria:
- Appropriateness of the applicant's previous training and
experience as preparation for a career in clinical research.
- Suitability of the applicant's proposed clinical
research
activities in the two-year period to foster a career in clinical
research.
- Assessment of the applicant's commitment to a research career
as reflected by the personal statement of long-term career goals
and the plan outlined to achieve those goals.
- Strength of recommendations attesting to the applicant's
potential for a clinical research career.
- Availability of appropriate scientific colleagues to achieve
and/or enhance the applicant's research independence.
- Quality and appropriateness of institutional resources
and facilities.
Funding decisions are made by the Institute or Center (IC) where the application is assigned for review and are based on several factors including the IC’s funding priorities.
To determine whether your research may qualify contact Dr. Robert Nettey,
the LRP liaison for the National Center on Minority Health &
Health Disparities, 301-402-1366, or e-mail: netteyr@mail.nih.gov
Additional program information can be found on the NCMHD Website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
