Program Description Financial Support Eligibility Criteria How to Apply
Program Description
The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP) is a doctoral fellowship training program that coordinates training and funding for PhD students attending a school of nursing. The program combines the academic environment of a university and the breadth and depth of research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The goal of the program is to encourage and support the training of nursing doctoral students who are motivated to undertake careers in basic or clinical research. NINR GPP fellows focus their dissertation research primarily in areas of pathophysiological mechanisms related to symptoms and symptom management, health promotion, disease prevention, tissue injury, and genetics. To learn more about NINR’s Intramural Research Program, click here.
As part of a coordinated plan of graduate education, students complete all required coursework at the academic institution in which they are enrolled. Dissertation research is then conducted within the Intramural Research Programs of the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland. The student's academic advisor and an NIH scientist serve as co-mentors for the dissertation process, which is completed at the NIH in coordination with the dissertation committee at the fellow's academic institution. All of the academic institution requirements for the doctoral degree must be fulfilled. Students receive their doctoral degree from the academic institution in which they are enrolled.
The NINR GPP is an Institutional Partnership that is administered by NINR. Students are encouraged to apply prior to their final year of doctoral coursework with the anticipation that, once accepted as a GPP fellow, they will matriculate to the NIH within one year to begin the research for their dissertation.
In addition to offering unparalleled research training, the GPP experience provides a rich array of educational, career, and social opportunities.
To learn more:
- Read profiles of current and former GPP participants
- Watch NINR's video interview with Dawn Betters, a recent GPP graduate
- Read the NIH Catalyst article "Grad Students Unite: The NIH Graduate Partnerships Program"
- Watch NIH SciBites: Investigating the Mystery of Cancer-Related Fatigue
Financial Support
NINR will support students for up to three years. Trainee support includes:
- a stipend
- tuition allowance
- modest sums for travel/training courses
- health insurance
The student’s doctoral program/academic institution may supplement the basic NINR stipend.
Eligibility Criteria
The NINR GPP is open to doctoral (PhD) students currently enrolled in a school of nursing who are citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. Preference will be given to applicants committed to a career as an innovative and creative leader in the nursing and scientific research community and with a research interest that is congruent with one or more focused research areas in the NIH Intramural Research Programs. To be considered eligible for the GPP, applicants must complete all doctoral coursework before joining the NINR GPP program.
Background Check
In order to be approved for logical and physical access to NIH facilities and systems, candidates must be able to pass a Federal background check, using Standard Form-85 (read SF-85). NOTE: Section 14 of the form asks “In the last year, have you used, possessed, supplied, or manufactured illegal drugs?” The question pertains to the illegal use of drugs or controlled substances in accordance with Federal laws, even though permissible under state laws.
How to Apply
Before submitting an application for consideration, students are strongly encouraged to review the information about NIH’s Institutional Partnership GPP. Instructions and frequently asked questions are located in the Additional Information section and the NINR GPP FAQs page.
To complete an online application for the NINR GPP:
Visit the Institutional Partnership application page and select “GPP Application Center.” Please create your application using Option 3: Application for Institutional Partnerships. NINR requires the full admission application process for its GPP.
Through this entry point you may create, modify, and view your GPP application. To begin, create your MyGPP account by completing and submitting the Contact Information form reached via the [Create MyGPP Account] button. If you already have an account, use your login name and password to access your MyGPP Account.
Please note: NINR no longer requires GRE scores. Applicants for the NINR GPP may leave the GRE score fields in the online application blank. Applications for the NINR GPP must also submit an up-to-date curriculum vitae (cv) and complete the cv/resume section of the online application. NINR will not consider applications submitted without a cv. Additional required documents include three letters of recommendation and an unofficial transcript for each school attended.
Applications are due no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 1, 2020. Recommendation letters (3) are due no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 3, 2020.
Questions?
Please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the NINR GPP.
For questions not answered by our GPP FAQ, send an email with "NINR Graduate Partnership Program" in the subject line to NINRIRPTraining@mail.nih.gov or contact:
Pamela Tamez, PhD
Training Director
NINR Division of Intramural Research
1 Cloister Court
Bldg 60, Rm. 268, MSC 4733
Bethesda, MD 20892-4733
301-451-5895
pamela.tamez@nih.gov
Inside the NINR GPP
NINR talked with three GPP fellows, two current scholars and one alumna, to learn about the program’s impact on their education and training.
In the video, Dawn Betters, PhD, RN, an alumna of the NINR Graduate Partnerships Program, discusses how the GPP helped her to advance her nursing research career.
NINR GPP Fellows Present at September 2013 National Advisory Council Meeting
Part 1: Jennifer Dine, an NINR Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP) Predoctoral Fellow, discussed her career path, current research, and the training opportunities of the GPP.
Part 2: Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP) Fellow Kristin Filler discussed her dissertation focus and her GPP experience. Learn how the NINR GPP helps give predoctoral students early and unique nursing science opportunities on the NIH campus, in the lab, and in the classroom. Council members' questions and comments are at the end of the presentation.