NIH Grants Related to Nutrition

[Kuester, Sarah]

Please pardon the cross-posting.

Below are excerpts from three NIH Program Announcements 
relevant to nutrition programs.

NCI:  		CANCER COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTIVE
			MEDIA TECHNOLOGY 
		  	Letter of Intent due October 6; Application due
November 8

NCI:  		BASIC BIOBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH ON 
			CANCER-RELATED BEHAVIORS 
		  	Letter of Intent due October 21; Application due
November 18

NIEHS: 	COMMUNITY-BASED PREVENTION AND 
			INTERVENTION RESEARCH
		  	Letter of Intent due October 19; Application due
December 13

***NOTE***  Please refer to the website for each notice to 
obtain the NIH staff who can answer questions about the RFA. 

Also, appended to the end of this message is an article from 
the September 7th (Vol. 2, No. 12) issue of HABIT providing 
helpful ideas for submitting NIH grant applications.  To learn 
more about the Health and Behavior Alliance and their biweekly 
e-mail newsletter HABIT (Health and Behavior Information Transfer) 
please see their website at http://www.cfah.org/alliance/main.htm.

Thank you!
Linda Nebeling, National Cancer Institute (ln14b at nih.gov)
Sarah Kuester, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (sak2 at cdc.gov)

---------------------------------------------------------------
EXCERPTS from NIH Program Announcement #PAR-99-141,
Cancer Communication and Interactive Media Technology, are 
below.  For details please refer to the full program announcement 
at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-99-141.html.
(Note that for this grant interested researchers will need to be 
partnered with small businesses.)

PURPOSE
Communication is central to effective, quality cancer care, from
primary prevention to survivorship. The continuing evolution of
media technology offers multiple opportunities to inform health
professionals and the public about cancer information and care in
better ways.  This Program Announcement (PA) is designed to 
promote and support collaborations between non-profit organizations 
and for-profit small businesses on research projects that address 
1) communication with individuals over great distances and in non-
invasive ways about healthy practices known to reduce cancer risks;
2) risk reduction communication training for health professionals;
and/or the 3) development of organizational infrastructures needed
to facilitate rapid advances in knowledge about cancer
communications, testing of intervention strategies, tailoring 
models and tools, and dissemination of results.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is interested in the
development, implementation, and testing of innovative and
commercially viable health applications using interactive media
technologies, television, or radio that translate cancer research
into population specific applications needed by health care
professionals or the public to reduce cancer risks, provide
treatment options, or address the needs of cancer survivors.
Research areas include innovative alternative teaching methods;
healthy life style models, nutrition interventions, tobacco
cessation interventions; tailored interventions for specific
populations including people with disabilities; educational,
training, or tracking systems for primary care professionals or for
the public; telehealth or telemedicine applications; counseling
models for cancer genetics; interventions to enhance cancer-related
decision making; psychosocial interventions for cancer survivors;
models to resolve organizational infrastructure issues; and
complementary medicine approaches to cancer.

This PA utilizes the R25 and R44 grant mechanisms in tandem 
to expedite the transition of successful technology research and
development into practical applications.

For this PA, the R25 principal investigator must be retained by the
small business as the primary consultant in the R44 phase of the
project.  The Principal Investigator during the R44 phase must come
from the small business.

Objectives and Scope

Interested applicants are encouraged to develop systems,
interventions, programs and/or products that: 1) improve
transmission of cancer information; 2) promote cancer-related
behavior change; 3) reduce cancer risk among youth and adults; 
4) improve health outcomes and quality of life; 5) improve decision
making and adherence to cancer prevention, detection and treatment;
and 6) improve survivorship.  Research in any of the following areas
is considered to be appropriate.  These illustrative examples are
not all inclusive.  Applicants could address one or a combination of
these needs.  Technology tools to facilitate these types of research
include, but are not limited to, computer software, expert systems,
tracking databases, advanced telephone technologies, videotext,
cable or broadcast television, radio, virtual reality, animation,
imaging, and the World Wide Web.

---------------------------------------------------------------Excerpts from
NCI Program Announcement #CA-99-014,
BASIC BIOBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH ON CANCER-RELATED 
BEHAVIORS, are below.  For details please refer to the full program 
announcement at
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-99-014.html.

PURPOSE

The Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS) of the
National
Cancer Institute (NCI) invites research grant applications on the
biobehavioral
basis of behaviors which increase the risk of cancer, cancer-related
morbidity,
or progression of cancer.

Because this Request for Applications (RFA) is designed to support
innovative
ideas, preliminary data as evidence of feasibility are NOT required.
However,
the proposed work must be novel, hypothesis driven, and utilize
pre-intervention
research designs in human populations.  Pre-intervention designs include
basic
laboratory research and epidemiologic approaches which provide a scientific
basis
for interventional studies. Although this mechanism is not designed to
solicit
phase III intervention research (i.e., clinical trials), the potential
significance of the proposed research for future interventions will be a
major
consideration in the evaluation. This request welcomes applications from a
wide
range of activities related to cancer control, and encourages researchers
from
conceptually related domains outside of the cancer control field to apply
for
funding through this mechanism.

Research Goals and Topics

This RFA is to solicit applications focused on the links between biology,
behavior, and environment as they pertain to cancer-related risk behaviors.
For
example, while obesity increases the risk of developing cancer, particularly
hormone-dependent cancer, little work has been accomplished integrating
behavioral (including physical activity), hormonal and genetic factors in
determining obesity risk and subsequent risk of cancer. Work in this area
may
allow for more individualized treatment interventions for a refractory
health
problem. Likewise, interdisciplinary research in psychoneuroimmunology has
provided evidence of possible health impacts of brain-immune system
communication. These health impacts likely are mediated by behavioral 
mechanisms (e.g.,smoking, diet) and mood (e.g., depression).

---------------------------------------------------------------Excerpts from
NIH Program Announcement #ES-99-012,
COMMUNITY-BASED PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION 
RESEARCH, are below.  For details please refer to the full program 
announcement at
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-ES-99-012.html.

PURPOSE

The purpose of awards in this program is to develop community-based public
health research approaches to diseases and health conditions having an
environmentally related etiology and determine the impact of these methods.
Moreover, awards are intended to stimulate further advances in the design
and
implementation of prevention and intervention methods that are appropriately
applied to environmental health.

Objectives and Scope

This RFA will support research activities that develop and implement
improved
prevention and intervention strategies related to environmental health that
are designed to include community-based, culturally appropriate approaches
applicable to underserved populations.  Community-based
prevention/intervention research seeks to expand our knowledge and
understanding of  the potential causes and remedies of environmentally
related
disorders, while at the same time enhancing the capacity of communities to
participate in the processes that shape research approaches and intervention
strategies. Community-based research is thus more than just a community 
placed outreach activity.  These research projects are community driven and
responsive so as to maximize the potential for change in knowledge,
attitudes,
and behavior.  They are conducted in a manner that reinforces collaboration
between community members and research institutions.  Relevant results from
these projects are disseminated to the community in clear, useful terms. 
Moreover, these studies are designed to be culturally appropriate, i.e., due
consideration is given to the social, economic, and cultural conditions that
influence health status.  Identifying and incorporating unique cultural
factors into intervention strategies may result in increased acceptability,
use, and adherence.

Community-based Research

Community-based research seeks to enhance the capacity of communities to
participate in the processes that shape research approaches and intervention
strategies.  Active cooperation and participation of organizations within
the
community(ies) that is (are) the focus of the study are essential components
of the research.  Hence, applicants must describe an existing or proposed
involvement with one or more community-based organizations in an area having
an underserved population adversely impacted by an environmental
contaminant. 
This connection is essential to the development of community-based
approaches
and should also enhance the potential for long term impact of the project. 
Community input is most meaningful and best utilized if it is built into the
research process from the outset.  Community representatives should be given

a voice in choosing research topics, developing the application, collecting
data, and interpreting results.  Thus, projects should be community-driven
and
community-responsive.  Research efforts should reinforce the collaborations
between communities, health care providers and scientists.  Results
generated
by the research should be disseminated to community members in useful terms.
This will mandate that all facets of the project design be culturally
appropriate.  Involvement of an Historically Black College or University,
Hispanic College, or Tribal College and/or recruitment of staff from the
community may be appropriate.  However, such efforts will not substitute for
direct involvement of a community-based organization.  Applications lacking
an
existing or proposed link to a community-based organization will be
considered
to be nonresponsive to this RFA.


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H E A L T H   a n d   B E H A V I O R
I N F O R M A T I O N   T R A N S F E R   ( H A B I T )
September 7, 1999 <> Vol. 2, No. 12

Below is an article from the September 7th (Vol. 2, No. 12) issue of 
HABIT providing helpful ideas for submitting NIH grant applications.  
To learn more about the Health and Behavior Alliance and their 
biweekly e-mail newsletter HABIT (Health and Behavior Information 
Transfer) please see their website at http://www.cfah.org/alliance/main.htm.

WANT TO GET FUNDED?  CALL A PROGRAM OFFICER!
Making pre-proposal contact with funding officials dramatically increases
the likelihood of receiving funding.  Program officials can give you advice
to help you write an application which the study section will perceive as
meritorious.

To facilitate increased contacts with officials by health and behavior
researchers, NIH staff compiled a contact listing (link below) of program
officials and scientific review administrators.  The list is targeted to
"those doing research on mechanisms that mediate the relationships between
psychological variables and health outcomes."  It includes a person to
contact for referral if none of the listed individuals cover your research
area.

Here's some advice about contacting program and review officials -- and
otherwise improving your chance of writing a successful application:

A) MAKE EARLY CONTACT: Contact a program official as early in the 
process as feasible, preferably at least three months prior to submission, 
so you'll have time to modify your plan and application.  Before contacting 
the program staff, you should:
* Go to the institute web site(s) to find out about their areas of interest,
grant mechanisms supported, and application guidelines.  (www.nih.gov/icd/)
* Go to the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) web site to obtain
information about the expertise and membership of committees that may be
appropriate for reviewing your application. (www.drg.nih.gov/)
* Know what you want to study. Call with as firm an idea as possible about
your project and how you would implement it.

B) WHAT TO DISCUSS:
* Describe your idea and its importance, and seek advice on ways to increase
the likelihood that your application will be seen as meritorious.  Many
program officials are willing to review abstracts or drafts of the proposed
projects.
* Find out about your research's fit within the institute's interests.
* Ask about which peer review committee (study section) might be best for
your application.  Ask about study section idiosyncrasies and about any
changes in committee memberships.
* Ask for clarification or information about the application process

C) GET COMMENTS ON YOUR DRAFT: After you prepare your application, ask as
many colleagues as possible to review your application critically before you
submit it.  Getting local comments takes a few weeks.

D) POST-SUBMISSION CONCERNS:  If you have questions or concerns after the
application is submitted to NIH you may contact the Scientific Review
Administrators (SRA) if needed.  SRAs are responsible for organizing study
sections and ensuring that study section meetings function appropriately.
Questions for them could include:
* Does the study section have the appropriate expertise?  Should the
application be assigned elsewhere?  Is additional expertise needed on the
assigned study section?
For questions or concerns after the review, contact the program official
listed on your Summary Statement.  This official may be able to help clarify
reviewers' comments, respond to other questions and eventually let you know
whether your application will be funded or help you improve your chances of
success next time.

Many applicants are nervous about making pre-proposal or post-review contact
with officials.  Common worries include saying the wrong thing, seeming
unprepared, talking with an unfriendly person, or unnecessarily taking the
official's time.  But the developer of the contact list, Fred Altman, PhD,
National Institute of Mental Health,  urges, "Don't be hesitant about
calling.  It's always a good idea to call the program officer."

==> View the list of behavioral and social science contacts at NIH:
http://www1.od.nih.gov/obssr/NIHPNIList.pdf.
==> View a summary of useful tips from Lynn and Jeremy Miner's recent book,
Guide to Proposal Planning and Writing: http://www.oryxpress.com/miner.htm.
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