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What is
the purpose of this website?
The Office of Behavioral
and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) designed this website to expand the
promotion efforts of the research supplement training program.
Furthermore, the OBSSR and NIH seek to ensure a concentration
of researchers who will address behavioral and social factors
that are important in improving the public's health, especially
among underrepresented populations. This website creates a link
between underrepresented students and faculty and the research training
opportunities available through the NIH Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research program.
In addition, it establishes a central resource for students and
faculty, as well as researchers, seeking information on NIH research
training opportunities in the behavioral and social sciences.
The creation of this site is also in line with Congressional interest
in increasing the number of behavioral science training opportunities
available to minority students (U.S. House Report 105-635).
Who funds
me?
A principal investigator (mentor) will provide funding through a research supplement
to his or her existing grant awarded by one of the NIH Institutes.
How do I
search for a mentor?
This is a self-search
system, which means that you enter data to help find the research
training opportunity that is right for you. You select
a Principal Investigator (mentor) with whom you would like to
work based upon his/her research area, geographic location, and
opportunities available through the mentoring process. Because
principal investigators can only apply for one research supplement
at a time, you may have to search the database more than once
to find a mentor.
Who is eligible
to participate?
The NIH is particularly interested in encouraging the recruitment and retention of the following classes of candidates:
-
Individuals from racial and ethnic groups that have been shown by the National Science Foundation to be underrepresented in health-related sciences on a national basis (see http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/). In addition, it is recognized that underrepresentation can vary from setting to setting and individuals from racial or ethnic groups that can be convincingly demonstrated to be underrepresented by the grantee institution are eligible for support under this program.
- Individuals with disabilities, which are defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
- Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds which are defined as:
- Individuals who come from a family with an annual income below established low-income thresholds. These thresholds are based on family size; published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census; adjusted annually for changes in the Consumer Price Index; and adjusted by the Secretary for use in all health professions programs. The Secretary periodically publishes these income levels at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/index.shtml . For individuals from low income backgrounds, the institution must be able to demonstrate that such candidates have qualified for Federal disadvantaged assistance or they have received any of the following student loans: Health Professions Student Loans (HPSL), Loans for Disadvantaged Student Program, or they have received scholarships from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Scholarship for Individuals with Exceptional Financial Need.
- Come from a social, cultural, or educational environment such as that found in certain rural or inner-city environments that have demonstrably and recently directly inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to develop and participate in a research career. Eligibility related to a disadvantaged background is most applicable to high school and perhaps to undergraduate candidates, but would be more difficult to justify for individuals beyond that level of academic achievement.
Awards under this program are limited to citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United States or to individuals who have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States (i.e., in possession of an Alien Registration Receipt Card or some other legal evidence of admission for permanent residence at the time of application).
How long
does the process take?
The entire process
may take several months. First you identify a potential mentor
and send your application. Once you submit your application to
a mentor it may take 2-3 weeks for him or her to get back to you.
He or she may ask you for additional information. If it
appears that it is a good match, then the mentor may apply to
the awarding NIH Institute for a research supplement to his/her
existing grant. The research supplements are available throughout
the year, and do not require a formal application. Turn-around
time on the request is generally 8 weeks.
How much
is the supplement worth?
Payment varies upon
prior experiences, but Principal Investigators will provide you
with a reasonable wage for your work. In certain circumstances,
Principal Investigators are provided with funds for your tuition,
fees, supplies, and travel. For more information please
go to:
research
supplements.
Where are
the projects located and how long are the training programs?
The research projects
are located all over the country and involve cutting-edge research
activities. The support can last a summer or up to four years,
depending on the applicant's level of expertise. The research
projects are updated regularly, so periodic visits to this site
are recommended.
Can only
behavioral and/or social scientist researchers participate?
This website is intended
to help promote the development of underrepresented researchers
who are interested in health related behavioral and/or social
sciences. All of the listed mentors have a behavioral and/or
social science focus in their research. However, if you
are interested in biomedical research please go to:
http://grants1.nih.gov/training/resources.htm
To whom
do I submit my application?
You should submit your
application directly to the mentor with whom you would like to
work.
What happens
once my application is submitted?
Once your application
is submitted the mentor will review it and contact you for further
information. Please allow for 2-3 weeks.
With what
types of research projects can I become involved?
These research projects
range from studies of children to research on older adults, from
laboratory research to field research, from social research to
a combination of biological and behavioral research.
Who sees
the information I submit?
Your participation in
this project is voluntary. There are no penalties for visiting
this site and not applying or responding to the questions asked
on the information forms. NIH will not maintain personal
information on applicants. NIH will only maintain data on
the number of people visiting the site and individual pages, the
number of people completing mentoring and application forms, and
group-level demographic data on applicants. The only people
who will see the information you send are the mentors that you
have chosen to apply to.
What are the steps
involved in becoming an applicant?
- First
you need to conduct an electronic search based upon your research
interests, group you would like to study, desired geographic
location, and your current level of education.
- Next,
a mentor fitting your description will be identified.
Principal investigators can only support one applicant at
a time so you may have to conduct a couple of searches until
you find someone.
- Once
you have found a potential mentor, then click on his or her
name and complete the student application form. (The
forms will be different for students and post-docs/junior faculty).
- Submit
your application and wait for the principal investigator to
contact you.
Give us your opinions of the website!!!
What are
some tips to increase my chances of finding a mentor?
-
You
may need to conduct several searches in the database to find
a mentor (Principal Investigator).
-
In
some cases, you may want to consider just looking for a good
research experience, rather than focusing on a particular
research area.
-
Given
that the entire process may take several months, you should
contact the Principal Investigator or mentor well in advance
of the time you would like to participate.
-
If
possible, visit the research lab you are interested in.
-
Ask
if there have been any other students or faculty who have
worked with the researcher and if you could contact them to
discuss their experiences.
-
Treat
this as a job and maintain professionalism at all times. These
may be people who can write a recommendation letter for you
later!
Go
to Mentee Application Form
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