Funding Opportunities

CU REproduction (CURE) Grant Review Panel

The CURE Panel is a grant review panel consisting of 6 members from the University of Colorado Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of OB-GYN, Section of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics + a number of ad hoc members from the campus and across the US.

Members review grant proposals (any grant mechanism) to be submitted to major funding agencies (NIH, ADA, AHA, DOD, ACS, USDA, MOD etcetera) in reproduction and perinatology (broadly defined), submitted by investigators at the Department of OB-GYN and Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics at CU Anschutz Medical Campus.

• Please ascertain that your submitted proposals comply with the instructions. Submissions will be pre-screened and if minimum requirements are not met, the proposal will be returned to the applicant.
• Each grant will be assessed by a minimum 3 scientific reviewers.
• Applicant will receive individual reviewers' comments and a Summary Statement. In contrast to the NIH Summary statement, reviewers will (if possible) suggest possible remedies for identified weaknesses.

Grant Development Course

Each summer a grant writing course is offered to junior faculty and senior postdocs/clinical fellows. The format includes individual mentoring as well as a small group workshop, meeting once per week for six weeks with writing assignments to accomplish in between meetings.

Budget Development & Grant Submission Support

Email obgynarc@cuanschutz.edu for assistance in obtaining pricing and the development of your study budget.

The Resident Research Fund (RRF) was established by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is to be used to fund new and ongoing research programs and activities initiated by residents of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The RRF will provide funds to residents in the department to support research endeavors. These funds will be disbursed only in response to specific written proposals, which shall be initially reviewed by the RRF Committee and will be subject to final approval by co-committee members, senior faculty member, and department chair.

Purpose or Scope

The purpose of the RRF is to provide funding for research projects developed and led by current Ob-Gyn residents in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Colorado to support and enhance the requirement to complete their scholarly activity. Priority is given to projects that are considered their primary resident research project (e.g. has received approval from the Assistant Program Directors of Resident Research). Core laboratory equipment, supplies, or travel activities that are not related to a research project are outside the scope of the RRF.

Eligibility

All University of Colorado School of Medicine Ob-Gyn residents are eligible to submit proposals in conjunction with their faculty mentor. Residents will be limited to one RRF award as Principal Investigator at any given time.

Guidelines for Preparation of RRF Research Proposals

Format

Proposals for funding should be submitted in electronic format to the RRF Committee and include the following sections, where applicable. The minimum font size is 11 point with 0.5 inch margins. Section A, #s 1 through 5 may not exceed six pages, including all figures and tables. Applications that do not conform to these requirements will be returned without review.

1. Description of Proposed Research

   Residents should submit their proposal in the following format:

   • Specific Aims and Hypotheses of the project.
   • Background and significance.
   • Research design and methods (including statistical analyses).
   • References.
   • Projected timeline.*
   • Appendicies.**

   * RRF projects are typically funded for a maximum of 2 years. It is expected that all IRB approvals are to be completed within 1 year.
   ** Copies of relevant questionaires, survey forms or letters of collaboration may be attached in an appendix.

   Applications must also include a “Lay Abstract” of up to one page, summarizing the specific aims, approaches and significance of the study in lay terms, understandable to a non-specialist. Should a grant be recommended by the RRF committee for funding, this abstract will be sent to executive faculty for review prior to final vote on the recommended proposal by the RRF Committee.

2. Budget

   A detailed line item budget must be included. The total amount requested must not exceed $3,500. If the RRF will provide only partial support for a project, please indicate the source of the remaing necessary funds. Examples of appropriate budgetary requests include participant stipends, research assistant or medical student time, equipment, reagents, laboratory tests, and data management and statistical support.

   It is not anticipated that awards will be given to fund any full-time positions. Partial salary support may be requested reflecting the time commitment to the proposed project, however salary support must be clearly justified and priority will be given to funding of the project rather than personnel. Items ineligible for financial support include clerical or secretarial support and travel expenses unless it is a direct research expense.

3. Budget and Personnel Justification

   The Budget and Personnel Justification should describe each item listed in the budget and provide the justification and information necessary to determine how the budget was calculated and the relationship between budgeted items and the project’s goals. The budget narrative must explain how each cost is necessary for the program, and match those items listed in the research proposal.

   If requests are made for services or specific reagents (e.g. antibodies, pathology specimens, flow cytometry, real time PCR, gene arrays), indicate the number of samples to be processed and cost per sample or kit and provide documentation of these prices if possible. Requests for statistical or other support services should indicate hourly rate or per contract costs and justify the use of outside, non-institutional services or assays. For animal costs, indicate and justify the number of animals to be used and housing costs.

   Please also provide a list of key personnel (Principal Investigator, faculty mentor, Co-Investigators, collaborators, consultants, PRAs) and a brief (one paragraph) description of their specific role and contribution to the project.

Review Criteria

Proposals will be evaluted based on the following criteria:

Significance: Project’s potential contribution to the body of knowledge and likelihood that research results will inform scientific concepts and methods.

Innovation: The extent to which the project employs novel concepts, approaches, or methods; challenges existing paradigms or develops new paradigms; or considers and existing problem from a new perspective.

Investigator(s): Investigator expertise and capacity to complete the proposed project or appropriate mentorship and/or collaboration plan. Priority is given to first year residents, although all other residents who have successfully completed one other research project will be eligible.

Approach: The Hypotheses and Specific Aims should be clearly stated. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the methodology? Is the project feasible, are the methods sound and appropriate to assess the hypotheses and specific aims? Are the study design and statistical analyses clearly stated and appropriate for the project? Is the timeline adequate to complete the project as planned? Is the budget justified clearly and specifically and is supportive of the planned work?

Potential for future funding: Pilot research studies designed to provide preliminary data to support subsequent proposals for extramural funding or that may lead to new avenues of research are given priority.

Reviewers will assign a score for each criterion described above using the following scale:

Scores will be averaged to determine the final score.

Review Process

Grant proposals will be reviewed by the RRF Committee in May. Requests for applications will be subject to availability of funds. The deadline for submission of grants will be announced by e-mail.

Any Committee member who is a faculty mentor for a proposal or has a conflict of interest will disqualify him/herself from participating in the review. Any resident or faculty investigator participating in a proposal, whether a Committee member or not, may be asked to come to a Committee meeting to explain or clarify any aspect of the proposal or such clarifiaction may be requested in writing.

The Committee will have the option of recommending acceptance of all or only part of the budgetary requests (i.e specific budget line items may be rejected or amended). Proposals not selected for funding may be resubmitted at the next cycle. Once the Committee's review process has been completed, it’s recommendations will be presented to the executive faculty for discussion and final decision by vote.

While the number of awards granted per cycle will be dictated by the availability of funds, individual research grants will generally not exceed $3,500. The Committee may consider larger budget requests subject to a compelling and well–justified need.

Administrative options of the Committee's review include recommendation for acceptance or rejection of the entire proposal as submitted or acceptance of portions of the proposal with recommendations to delete or modify certain aspects of the proposed study. All applicants will receive a written review of their proposal within one month of funding announcements.

Administration of Award

Once the proposal has been approved, the applicant will be notified via e-mail. Notices will contain the award number (assigned by the administrative assistant to the Committee), speedtype, title of the project, name of the principal investigator (Pl), faculty mentor, award amount, and award duration. It is the responsibility of the Pl to administer the research project and budget as outlined in the proposals and to comply with all applicable COMIRB regulations.

By accepting the award, the Pl agrees to the terms of the award which includes complying with the budget, providing an annual progress report, and completion of the study within two years. Failure to submit an annual report within 30 days of the anniversary of the award (speedtype start date) will result in suspension of funds. The annual progress report should include:

• A brief one page summary of progress.
• A budget report (including proposed budget and expenditures to date).
• A list or summary of abstracts or manuscripts that have been submitted, presented, or published as a result of the RRF project.
• Grant or other funding obtained to either support the RRF project or as a result of RRF funding.
• Changes to the personnel, specific aims, scope of project, project timeline, or budget.

If the project is not completed in two years, an extension may be granted but will be based upon the submission to the RRF Committee of a detailed progress report indicating reasons for delay in completion, as well as an estimated date of completion. If any portion of the budgeted money remains unused by the completion of the project, this money will revert to the RRF for future awards.

At the completion of the study, the PI will be required to provide a report of findings to include a summary of data, conclusions drawn, initiatives undertaken to utilize the data obtained for additional research studies, and a list of publications, abstracts, presentations, and grants related to the study. It is anticipated that such a report will be made available to the Committee by the grant deadline closest to the anniversary of the award. This report must also include an accurate accounting of funds awarded and disbursed. Failure to comply with the terms of this award will result in revocation of the award.

All expenditures related to the RRF program must be approved by the Senior Faculty Oversight. A copy of all expenditures will be maintained by the Department Administrator or their designee.

Submission Deadline

All applications must be submitted to Resident Research Co-Directors by May 1st of the application year. Awards will be announced by June 1st of the application year.

Center for Women's Health Research (CWHR) Junior Faculty Research Development Awards (Seed Grants)

The Center's Junior Faculty Research Development Awards, or seed grants, jump-start ideas and help researchers build careers in women's health and sex and gender differences research. Our funding, mentoring, trainings, networking, and biostatistical support make it possible for junior researchers to obtain crucial pilot data and become independent investigators, effectively positioning them to secure future funding.

Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) Program

The Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) Program at the University of Colorado School of Medicine (UCSOM) provides career development to outstanding junior faculty members in key research specialties relevant to women’s health. The BIRCWH program’s aim is to provide bridging support to physician-scientists and scientists in the early stages of their professional careers so that they can achieve an independent research career. These junior faculty members are paired with senior investigators in a mentored, interdisciplinary scientific environment.​

CCTSI Child and Maternal Health Pilot Grant (CMH-Pilot)

Provides one-year pilot awards to encourage cross-disciplinary and collaborative research focused on children of all ages as well as pregnant women and mothers of newborn and young infants that will ultimately improve child and maternal health.

Translational research is intentionally broadly defined, and includes any basic, pre-clinical or clinical research with promise to improve child health. Basic research at the cellular and molecular level, pre-clinical research in animal models, clinical research in humans, and outcomes or health services research are eligible if the ultimate goal is to improve human health.

RFA issued in July, Applications due in October, Selection in February.

Women's Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) Career Development Program

at the University of Colorado

The WRHR Program was initiated in 1998 to provide the opportunity for obstetrician/gynecologists (OB-GYNs) who recently completed postgraduate clinical training to further their education and experience in basic, translational, and clinical research. Program sites provide departments of OB-GYN with an opportunity to create a talented pool of junior investigators with expertise in women's reproductive health research. The WRHR Program is sponsored by the NICHD, through its Gynecologic Health and Disease Branch (GHDB), and co-sponsored by the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health using the NIH Mentored Research Scientist Development Program Award (K12) mechanism.

The University of Colorado Denver is home to world class health care and research programs in women’s health including reproductive disorders of adults and adolescents, perinatal/fetal biology, cancer biology, obesity, contraception, endocrinology, infectious disease and mental health disorders related to pregnancy. The goal of the UC-WRHR Center is to enable obstetricians and gynecologists to become successful physician scientists by providing outstanding research training and career development in these areas.

The CU WRHR Center has an outstanding group of mentors from basic science and clinical departments within the University of Colorado School of Medicine and from the Colorado School of Public Health to provide guidance for CU WRHR Scholars. Our mentors have an excellent record of training physician scientists in basic, clinical and translational research pursuits. CU WRHR Center Scholars have access to diverse education and research opportunities including masters and PhD programs offering specialized training in Reproductive Biology, Molecular Biology, Public Health and Clinical Science.

In 1999, the University of Colorado, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology was awarded by NIH one of the first Women’s Reproductive Health Research Career Development Centers in the United States. Funding for the CU WRHR Center was renewed from 2005-2010, 2010-2015, and just recently again through 2020.

The CU WRHR Center is located at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado, which is part of the greater Denver metro area. The campus integrates the Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Dental Medicine; College of Nursing; Colorado School of Public Health; University of Colorado Hospital; Children’s Hospital Colorado; and the new VA Hospital.

Eligibility Requirements

Program Administration

Nanette F. Santoro, MD
Principal Investigator
Professor and E. Stewart Taylor Chair
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Contact
Academic Office 1
12631 East 17th Avenue, MS B198-1
Aurora, CO 80045

Phone: (303) 724-2041
Fax: (303) 724-2061

T. Rajendra Kumar, PhD
Program Director
Professor and Edgar L., Patricia M. Makowski and Family Endowed Chair
Associate Vice Chair of Research
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Contact
Research Complex 2
12700 East 19th Avenue, MS 8613
Aurora, CO 80045
Phone: (303) 724-8689
Fax: (303) 724-3512

Jeanelle Sheeder, MSPH, PhD
Program Director
Professor and Associate Vice Chair of Clinical Research
Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics

Contact
Academic Office 1
12631 East 17th Avenue, MS B198-2
Aurora, CO 80045
Phone: (303) 724-2272
Fax: (303) 724-2056

Nicole Goetz
Program Support
Division Administrative Assistant III

Contact
Research Complex 2
12700 East 19th Avenue, MS 8613
Aurora, CO 80045
Phone: (303) 724-3506
Fax: (303) 724-3512

Program Mentors

Current WRHR Scholars

Nancy Fang, MD, MS
(2023-Present)

Dr. Fang joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology as a WRHR Scholar in August 2023. She completed her undergraduate degree in Chemistry and Global Health at Northwestern University. She worked for two years in a biology of addiction lab at Rockefeller University in New York City before moving to the University of Pittsburgh to complete her medical degree. She then moved to Denver to complete her ob-gyn residency at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She completed her fellowship in Complex Family Planning at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and received a Master of Science in Epidemiology from the Mailman School of Public Health in New York City. Her research interests include equity in reproductive health and contraceptive improvement measures.

Nicole Marjon, MD, PhD
(2022-Present)

Dr. Marjon joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology as a WRHR Scholar in 2022. She received her medical degree (MD) as well as her graduate degree (PhD) at the University of New Mexico. She then completed a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford University and Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship at the University of California San Francisco. Her current research is focused on understanding and modifying the immune microenvironment in ovarian cancer with the goal of developing novel therapeutics. She collaborates with established physicians and scientists at the University of Colorado and across the country, who share the same purpose of improving treatment options for patients with gynecologic malignancies.

Past WRHR Scholars