Important Dates
Application Deadline: February 3, 2025
Award Notifications: TBD
Start Date: TBD
How to Apply
All application components should be uploaded to online submission system. Please use online submission system (click to start) to upload your BIRCWH application files. Once you have started submission by entering your name and email address, you will receive a confirmation email with the link to your BIRCWH application. You can use this link to upload and update your submission files. Please share your submission link with your Department Chair, Lead mentor, Co-lead mentor (if applicable), and Advisory committee members (if applicable) to upload Letters of Support.
Please send any questions or concerns via email to bircwh@emory.edu.
Formatting: All sections of the application should be single spaced with a 1/2-inch margin. The font size should be 11 points or larger and the typeface should be Arial, Helvetica, or Georgia.
Required Documents
Applications should include the following documents:
a. Cover Page--Click on the link to veiw the cover page required.
b. Cover Letter from Applicant: One page maximum. The cover page should include your rank (e.g. Senior Associate, Instructor, Assistant Professor, etc.), the name of your lead mentor, and a description of why you are interested in pursuing a career in women’s health research. You should also indicate that you do not have any pending applications for NIH PHS mentored career development awards. You should state that if accepted into the program that you will:
- Agree to the rules of the BIRCWH program
- Meet with the Program Director at least once every six months
- Submit semi-annual progress reports
- Keep the program office updated on publications and grant submissions/awards during AND AFTER completion of the program
- Complete the MSCR/CPTR program if applicable
- Submit a NIH K-application during your first year of BIRCWH support (e.g. K01, K08, K23)
- Agree to serve on the faculty of an academic institution pursing a career in women's health research for each year of support received from BIRCWH
c. Abstract - One page maximum. Provide an abstract of the entire application (candidate, environment, and research). Include the candidate's immediate and long-term career goals, key elements of the research career development plan, and a description of the research project. In the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide, section 7, there are specific instructions for a K Abstract. Another good place to review funded NIH Individual K abstracts is to study others’ abstracts on the NIH RePORTER (under Activity Code, select K awards) (https://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm).
d. Research and Training Plan: 13 pages total
Specific Aims – 1 page
Candidate Section + Research Strategy – 12 pages
Include a Specific Aims page outlining a brief background for the grant, the hypothesis, and a listing of the specific aims.
As described in the Application Guide, section 7, prepare a Candidate Section (Candidate Background; Career Goals and Objectives; Career Development Training Activities) as well as a Research Strategy section (Significance, Innovation and Approach) with a specific focus on the respective K program. The Approach section will include methods – including human subjects recruitment, statistical analysis plan, anticipated outcomes, potential pitfalls and alternative approaches, and timeline subsections. Preliminary data if any, is not required, but should be included in the appropriate section of the Research Plan. Preliminary data supporting any aspects of feasibility of the methods is considered to be an advantage. Preliminary data can include published or unpublished findings. Be precise about your role in generating the preliminary data, if any.
The Candidate Section should indicate the candidate’s background and career goals and should also describe the faculty member who will serve as the lead mentor as well as a planned schedule of interactions between the trainee lead mentor and mentoring team (be specific and indicate frequency of meetings, types of interactions, etc.). For the Career Goals, it is important to describe a compelling plan describing “Future Plans for NIH Research” which would include at a minimum, a K23, K01, or K08. Applicants who clearly preview the KL2/K12 as a pathway to the NIH K (or similar) tend to receive better scores from reviewers. The Career Development Training Activities should provide a clear description of the didactic training that is planned and may include electives in the second year. Applicants who have already completed a Master’s degree should explain the rationale for the proposed didactic training plan. The research strategy section will include a hypothesis driven clinical and/or translational research proposal that they would develop under the guidance of their lead mentor as well as plans for didactic and mentored clinical and/or translational research training. Pilot studies are acceptable.
A Human Subjects/Data Safety and Monitoring Plan (not counted towards the 12 page limit) should be included, if applicable. Please follow the NIH SF 424 Application Guide section for the Protection of Human Subjects. IRB approval for the research is not required at the time of application but will be required prior to funding. Another good resource for preparing this section (for all areas of human subjects research) can be found here.
e. Literature Citations: Please include a typical literature citation section at the end of the Research Strategy (not included in the page limit).
f. Budget may be submitted on the NIH SF 424 forms or can be a line item listing and should include applicant’s salary (show total salary as well as 75% requested) along with the current fringe benefit rate which can be found on the Emory Office of Sponsored Programs website. Also include a technical budget of $25,000 per year (which should include $10,000 in year one for MSCR tuition for applicants who propose to complete the MSCR program as part of clinical training) and a budget justification of no more than two pages. Do not include items not allowed on Federal Grants such as software, books, and administrative support staff (ask if uncertain).
g. Letters of Support from the lead mentor and Department Chair - The letter from the Department Chair must guarantee that the applicant will have protected time (equivalent to the salary support provided by the program) to carry out clinical research training if accepted into the KL2 program. If the candidate is in the Department of Medicine, a letter from the Division Director is required in lieu of or in addition to the Department Chair. The lead mentor’s letter should reflect willingness to serve as mentor for the candidate, the mentor's assessment of the candidate, prior trainees he/she has mentored, a brief summary of the applicant’s research proposal, and a brief summary of plans for mentoring and enhancing the research capabilities of the applicant. If there are co-mentors, consultants and/or collaborators, the commitment and role of these individuals should be clearly stated. The mentor should include detailed information on what portion of the applicant’s time will be devoted to clinical activities and what will be the clinical activities and responsibilities once accepted into the K program. The K program requires a minimum of 75% protected effort (50% minimum for surgery department faculty). Letters of support for the candidate from applicant’s proposed advisory committee members are also required. Note: these are not letters of recommendation but rather letters of support to mentor the candidate.
h. NIH Biosketch and Other Support Page of candidate and lead mentor as well as co-lead mentor (if applicable), advisors and collaborators (if any). The NIH biosketch instructions for the K awards and an example of the NIH biosketch can be found here. Other support pages are not required for advisors and collaborators.