The Office of Physician-Scientist and Scientist Development (OPSSD) continues to develop new opportunities to help Junior Faculty shorten their timeline to independence. After hearing feedback from Janeway Society members that having the opportunity to have their grant internally reviewed would help them submit a more competitive application and thus increase their success rate, OPSSD launched a mock grant review panel for the February NIH deadline. Developed under the guidance of Eugene Shapiro, MD, director of grant writing and evaluation for OPSSD and professor of pediatrics and of epidemiology, Janeway Society members submitted a letter of intent to participate in the mock grant review and faculty with research expertise were identified to serve as reviewers. Nicholas Licht, director of program development and assessment for OPSSD, reports that “faculty were eager to participate as a reviewer with 20 Faculty from 11 different departments and schools agreeing to serve as reviewers as part of our initial review.” OPSSD will convene the mock study section in January and will review seven R01 applications and one K23 application. Shapiro said, “After many years of teaching Writing Your K- or R-Type Grant Proposal for the Investigative Medicine Program, I am excited we are able offer mock grant reviews to faculty. I have seen how going through a mock review process provides applicants an opportunity to receive unbiased feedback and to strengthen their application prior to submitting it to the NIH for review.”
Janeway Society members who submit their grant application for review will receive written feedback from three faculty members and a recording of the discussion of their application after the grant review is completed. This feedback will enable faculty to address critiques prior to submission to the NIH. While the initial mock study section is a pilot open only to Janeway Society Members, the ultimate goal is to launch this resource for the broader School of Medicine research community. Between the introduction of the Yale School of Medicine Grant Library and the mock study section review, OPSSD hopes that Yale faculty, trainees, and students will have access to additional resources that will strengthen their grant applications.
Individuals who would like to serve as reviewers in future grant review panels can contact OPSSD at OPSSD@yale.edu.