Ericka M. Boone, Ph.D.Director, Division of Loan RepaymentNIH Office of Extramural Programs/NIH Office of Extramural Research

October 15, 2015

NIH Loan Repayment Programs

LRP Overview

• General Overview of LRPs• Eligibility and Qualifying Research• Programs• Application Components• Peer Review Criteria• Tips for Writing a Competitive Application• Common Mistakes• Wrap Up

About the LRPs

Outcome: Increase in nation’s stock of biomedical research scientists

NIH: Repays up to $35,000/year of your qualified educational debt and covers resulting taxes (39%)

YOU: Commit to perform research for 2 years

NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) are a vital component in our nation's effort to keep health professionals in research careers

Here’s how it works:

*Note: Initial awards: 2 years; Renewal awards: 1 or 2 years

Basic Eligibility Requirements

U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or permanent resident

Doctoral-level degree (M.D., Ph.D. or equivalent) EXCEPTION = Contraception & Infertility Research LRP

Qualified educational debt greater than 20% of annual base salary

Qualified research at a domestic, non-profit research organization for at least 20 hours/week (50% effort)

Domestic, nonprofit research funding (e.g., university or government organization) **NIH grant support is NOT required**

*Visit www.lrp.nih.gov for more information

Individuals are not eligible for the NIH LRPs if they:

• Have a Federal judgment lien against their property arising from a Federal debt

• Are a full-time Federal government employee or VA Fellow

• Owe an obligation of health professional service to the Federal government, a state, or other entity, unless deferrals are granted for the length of their LRP service obligation

▫ NRSA T32, T90 and F32 awardees are eligible. NIH grants a deferral of the NRSA service obligation.

Other Eligibility Issues

Five Extramural Programs

Clinical Research

Pediatric Research

Health Disparities Research

Contraception and Infertility Research

Clinical Research for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds

Updated Website

For clinical investigators interacting with human patients in an inpatient or outpatient setting

Qualifying research:

• Patient-oriented clinical research (must have direct contact with human subjects or materials of human origin, e.g., tissue specimen or cognitive phenomena)

• Research on the causes and consequences of disease • Clarify a problem in human physiology, pathophysiology or

disease • Epidemiologic or behavioral studies• Outcomes research or health services research• Develop new technologies, therapeutic interventions, or clinical

trials

Clinical Research LRP

For investigators conducting research directly related to diseases, disorders, and other conditions in children

Qualifying Research:Research directly related to diseases, disorders, and other conditions in children, including pediatric pharmacology

**Basic research can be conducted under the pediatric research LRP

Pediatric Research LRP

For investigators conducting research that focuses on minority health disparity populations/issues

Qualifying research:•Within health disparity populations•Causes of health disparities •Methods to prevent, diagnose and treat such conditions

Health Disparities Research LRP

For investigators conducting research in conditions that impact on the ability of couples to either conceive or bear young.

Note:• Applications reviewed by National Institute of Child

Health and Human Development (NICHD).  • Acceptable degrees include doctoral-level and other

allied health professionals (e.g., nurses, physician assistants, graduate students, or postgraduate research fellows training in a health profession)

Contraception and Infertility LRP

For clinical investigators coming from an environment that inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skill, and ability required to enroll in, and graduate from, a health professional school, or from a family with an annual income below low-income thresholds.

Note:• Applications reviewed by National Institute on Minority

Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)• Applicants must certify disadvantaged background status

Clinical Research for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds LRP

The LRP application is divided into three (3) sections:

• Personal Information – contact info and background; personal statement about career goals, verification of citizenship status

• Research – description of proposed research, identification of research supervisor, institutional business officials and recommenders; NIH sends an email to these individuals and they are asked to respond online

• Loan Information (new applicants only) – lender and servicer information, loan number, total loan amounts, loan status (in repayment/forbearance), etc

The Application

Review Process

Division of Loan Repayment

Center for Scientific Review

NIH Institute or Center

Peer Review

NIH Institute or Center

YOU

$$$

Reviewers evaluate applicant’s potential to succeed in a research career by rating:

• Applicant’s previous training and research experience

• Applicant’s commitment to a research career

• Recommendation letters

• Quality and appropriateness of the research environment (including research environment, materials and equipment, etc)

• Research progress (for Renewal applications only)

Peer Review Criteria

NJ

MA

WA

OR

CA

NV

AZ

UT CO

WY

MT

ID

ND

SD

NE

KS

OK

TX

AR

MO

IA

MN

WI

IL IN

KY

TN

MS

LA

AL GA

FL

SC

NC

VAWV

OH

MIPA

NY

ME

AK

HI

DE

MD

VTNH

CTRI

NM

Map not to scale and is only for i l lustration

# of Participants

States

0 DE, NV, OK, WY

1-25 AK,AL,AR,AZ,DC,HI,IA,ID,IN,KS,KY,LA,ME,MN,MS,MT,ND,NE,NH,NJ,NM,OR,PR,RI,SC,SC,UT,VA,VT,WI,VW

26-50 CO,CT.FL,FA,IL,MI,MO,OH,TN,WA

51-100 MD,NC,PA,TX

101-150 MA,NY

151-200 CA

Contracts by State:FY 2014

California had the most recipients, followed by Massachusetts and New York

# of Awards FY 2007 thru FY 2014

FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY140

300

600

900

1200

1500

1800

909 909 879 934 872 882 771 819

383 347388

335412 382

294315

289289 295 262 232 242

228

191

Contraceptive & Infertility Clinical DB Health Disp Pediatric Clinical

# o

f A

pp

lica

tio

ns

**Average ~ 3000 applications/year

(N=1,646) (N=1,583) (N=1,604) (N=1,584) (N=1,572) (N=1,554) (N=1,328) (N=1,357)

NIH LRP Applications & Awards, FY07-FY14

FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY140

300

600

900

1200

1500

1800

# o

f A

wa

rds

1,6461,583 1,604 1,584 1,572 1,554

1,328 1,357

FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY140

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

Contraceptive & Infertility Clinical DB Health Disp Pediatric Clinical

# o

f A

pp

lica

tio

ns

3,218 3,159 3,100

2,721 2,685

3,0663,377 3,391

These tips will help you strengthen your application.

• Know the funding priorities of the NIH Institute or Center that will review your application

• Effectively demonstrate your qualifications and commitment to research.

• Describe resources and support thoroughly.

• Write a strong research plan.

• Provide strong letters of recommendation.

**To download this complete document, visit http://www.lrp.nih.gov/writing-lrp-application

Tips for Writing a Competitive LRP Application

The following conditions often weaken an applicant’s competitiveness

• Weak or lukewarm recommendation letters

• Questionable research commitment

• Mediocre research plan

• Rushed application

• Inadequate research environment

• Slim publication record

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Up to $70k/2yr in educational loan repayment▫ Depending on debt level

• Coverage of most Federal taxes resulting from the NIH LRP

• 2 year initial contracts ▫ 1 or 2 year competitive renewal

• Approximately 1,600 researchers funded yearly

• 50% application success rate overall

Summary

Application Cycle Timeline

• September 1 – November 16: Application Cycle Open

• December 1: Colleague Deadline

• February – May: Application Peer Review

• May: IC Initial Selections

• May – July: Financial Vetting

• Mid-July–August: Final Funding Decisions/Recipient Notifications

• August – September: Contract Signing

• October: First Lender Payments

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LRP Information CenterOpen each weekday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET

(866) 849-4047 or LRP@nih.gov

Webinar: Overview of Loan Repayment Programshttp://go.usa.gov/aHx

LRP Web site: http://www.lrp.nih.govTwitter: @NIH_LRP

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nihlrp

Additional Resources

LRP Application Deadline: November 16, 2015

Thank you!