NHLBI Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual Predoctoral MD/PhD Fellows (F30)
(Predoctoral Students/Medical and Graduate Students)

The NHLBI Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) for Individual Predoctoral MD/PhD Fellows provides awards to individuals for combined MD/PhD fellowship training in research areas relevant to the NHLBI mission.

NHLBI NRSA for Individual Predoctoral MD/PhD Fellows (F30) Web links:

NHLBI F30 Program Announcement (PA-11-125)

The NHLBI Website also lists training programs under the category Request for Applications/Proposals & Program Announcements and the application receipt date.

NHLBI's Division of Blood Diseases and Resources (DBDR) Program Description

NHLBI's Division of Cardiovascular Sciences (DCVS) Program Description

NHLBI's Division of Lung Diseases (DLD) Program Description

Eligibility? Applications to the program will be accepted from (a) students currently enrolled in a combined MD/PhD program and (b) current medical or graduate students seeking admission to a combined program that provides research training in areas relevant to the NHLBI mission. Awards to these applicants are contingent on subsequently being enrolled in a combined MD/PhD program.

By the time of award, all candidates for the Kirschstein-NRSA F30 award must be citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United States, or must have been lawfully admitted to the United States for Permanent Residence. Non-citizen nationals are generally persons born in outlying possessions of the United States, i.e., American Samoa and Swains Island. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible. Individuals may apply for the F30 in advance of admission to the United States as a Permanent Resident recognizing that no award will be made until legal verification of permanent Resident status is provided.

The research proposed must be directly responsive to the mission of the NHLBI. The NHLBI does not support F30 projects primarily focused on malignancy-related research. Studies that address a mechanistic correlation between cancer (i.e. lung cancer) and primary pulmonary diseases may be considered within the mission of the NHLBI. Applications on vaccine development will be considered outside the focus of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Applications on respiratory pathogens will be considered within the focus of this FOA if they focus on the host immune response. Other potential overlapping areas of interest shared by the NHLBI and other Institutes/Centers of the NIH include myeloproliferative and myelodysplastic disorders, hematological malignancies resulting from disruptions in hematopoiesis, and the use of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and other cellular therapies. Therefore, applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the NHLBI before submitting an application to determine its appropriateness for this FOA and the mission of the NHLBI.

The opportunities? Mentored research training

Duration of support? Candidates may receive up to six years of aggregate Kirschstein-NRSA support at the predoctoral level, including any combination of support from institutional training grants (T32) and individual fellowship awards (F30). However, it is not possible to have concurrent NRSA support (e.g., F30 and T32). Applicants must consider any prior NRSA predoctoral research training in determining the duration of support requested. Accurate information regarding previous Kirschstein-NRSA support must be included in the application and will be considered at the time of award.

Training beyond the six-year aggregate limit may be possible under rare and exceptional circumstances, but a waiver from the NHLBI is required. Individuals seeking Kirschstein-NRSA support beyond the sixth year are strongly advised to consult with relevant NHLBI staff before preparing a justification. Any waiver will require a detailed justification of the need for additional research training.

Where? Domestic for-profit or non-profit institutions/organizations, or public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges, hospitals and laboratories, eligible agencies of the federal government, and NIH intramural laboratories. Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply.

The sponsoring institution must have staff and facilities available on site to provide a suitable environment for performing high-quality research training. The PhD phase of the program may be conducted outside the sponsoring institution, e.g. a Federal laboratory including the NIH intramural laboratories. This training, however, must be part of a combined MD/PhD program.

Applications due? April 8, August 8, and December 8 – new and resubmission applications.

Before submitting an application, individuals and their mentors should explore new and existing training programs at their institution which also provide research training opportunities (e.g., F31 and T32).

Allowable Costs: This F30 award provides a stipend, funds towards tuition and fees, and an Institutional Allowance which can be used to help defray fellowship expenses such as health insurance, research supplies, equipment, books, and travel to scientific meetings. See NOT-OD-11-067 for details.

How to apply: Applications submitted in response to this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for Federal assistance must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov using the SF424 Research and Related (R&R) forms and the SF424 (R&R) Individual Fellowship Application Guide.

Page Limitations

All page limitations described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

Letters of Reference

Applicant fellows must carefully follow the SF424 (R&R) Individual Fellowship Application Guide, including the time period for when letters of reference will be accepted. Applications lacking the required reference letters may be delayed in review or not reviewed. Please note that the specified Fellowship Reference Form must be used. This is a separate process from submitting an application electronically. Reference letters are submitted directly through the eRA Commons Referee Information link and not through Grants.gov Note that the sponsor and any co-sponsors may not submit a letter of reference.

Please contact one of the following Program Officers below, if you have questions about this award:

Drew E. Carlson, Ph.D.
Program Director
Office of Research Training and Career Development
Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, NHLBI
RKL II Building, Room 8142
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7940
Bethesda, MD 20892-7940
Telephone: (301) 435-0535
FAX: (301) 480-7404
Email: carlsonde@nhlbi.nih.gov

Ms. Ann Rothgeb
Program Director
Division of Lung Diseases, NHLBI
RKL II Building, Room 10135
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7952
Bethesda, MD 20892-7952
Telephone: (301) 435-0202
FAX: (301) 480-3557
Email: rothgeba@mail.nih.gov

Rita Sarkar, Ph.D.
Program Director
Division of Blood Diseases and Resources, NHLBI
RKL II Building, Room 10165
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7950
Bethesda, MD 20892-7950
Telephone: (301) 435-1324
FAX: (301) 480-1046
Email: sarkarr@nhlbi.nih.gov

Charlotte Pratt, Ph.D.
Program Director
Division of Cardiovascular Sciences - Prevention and Population Sciences Program, NHLBI
RKL II Building, Room 10118
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7936
Bethesda, MD 20892-7936
Telephone: (301) 435-0382
FAX: (301) 480-5158
Email: prattc@nhlbi.nih.gov

Herbert Geller, Ph.D.
Director, Office of Education
Division of Intramural Research, NHLBI
Building 10, Room 6N248
10 Center Drive, MSC 1754
Bethesda , MD 20892-1754
Phone: (301) 451-9440
FAX: (301) 594-8133
Email: gellerh@nhlbi.nih.gov

Direct your questions about financial or grants management issues to:
Ms. Denise H. Payne
Grants Management Specialist
Division of Extramural Research Activities, NHLBI
RKL II Building, Room 7155
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7926
Bethesda, MD 20892-7926
Telephone: (301) 594-9529
FAX: (301) 451-5462
Email: dp43b@nih.gov

Revised: September 2011