The research training theme of the Pulmonary T32 is broad and aims to train the next generation of academic leaders in pulmonary and critical care medicine with a focus on: 

• Acute Respiratory Failure and Recovery
• Airway Disorders
• Fibrotic, Interstitial,  and Occupational Lung Disease
• Lung Cancer
• Pulmonary Vascular Disorders

Research activities of the trainees need to address at least one of these 5 focused areas of research.

Candidates will be required to submit the following information:

A. Candidate Section (1 page) 

1. a statement of professional and fellowship goals
2. fellow qualifications, including a self-assessment, and scientific background/perspective

B. Research Project and Training Plan (1 Page)

1. Training Activities and Timeline
2. Research Training Project Specific Aims with brief Project Strategy, Rationale and Approach

Proposed Mentor will be required to submit:

1. Mentoring Approach and Candidate Mentoring Plan
2. Commitment to the Candidate's Research Training Plan
3. Research Training Environment, Qualifications, and prior Commitment to Training and Mentoring
4. Proposed Research Advisory Committee and Candidates Potential

Attachments:

1. NIH biosketch for candidate and proposed mentor
2. Grant support for proposed mentor

The application materials should be sent to Laura Sanchez (Laura.Sanchez@cuanschutz.edu) by August 1, 2024. The Research Oversight Committee (ROC) of the Pulmonary T32 program will make a decision by September 1, 2024.

Postdoctoral trainees must have received, as of the beginning date of the NRSA appointment, a Ph.D., M.D., D.D.S., or comparable doctoral degree from an accredited domestic or foreign institution. Comparable doctoral degrees include, but are not limited to, the following:  

D.M.D., D.C., D.O., D.V.M., O.D., D.P.M., Sc.D., Eng.D., Dr. P.H., D.N.Sc., D.P.T., Pharm.D., N.D. (Doctor of Naturopathy), D.S.W., Psy.D, as well as a doctoral degree in nursing research. 

Documentation by an authorized official of the degree-granting institution certifying all degree  requirements have been met prior to the beginning date of the training appointment is acceptable. Individuals in postgraduate clinical training, who wish to interrupt their studies for a year or more to engage in full-time research training before completing their formal training programs, are also eligible.

The individual to be trained must be a citizen or a noncitizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence at the time of appointment. Additional details on citizenship, training period, and aggregate duration of support are available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Within the framework of the NRSA program’s longstanding commitment to excellence and the projected need for investigators in particular areas of research, attention must be given to recruiting and retaining trainees from racial or ethnic groups underrepresented in the biomedical, behavioral and clinical sciences, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.

All trainees are required to pursue their research training full time, normally defined as 40 hours per week, or as specified by the sponsoring institution in accordance with its own policies. Within the full-time training period, research trainees who are also training as clinicians must devote their time to the proposed research training and must confine clinical duties to those that are an integral part of the research training experience. The program may not be used to support studies leading to the M.D., D.D.S., or other clinical, health-professional training except when those studies are part of a formal combined research degree program, such as the M.D./Ph.D. Similarly, trainees may not accept NRSA support for clinical training that is part of residency training leading to clinical certification in a medical or dental specialty or subspecialty. It is permissible and encouraged, however, for clinicians to engage in NRSA-supported, full-time postdoctoral research training even when that experience is creditable toward certification by a clinical specialty or subspecialty board.

Appointments are normally made in 12-month increments, and no trainee may be appointed for less than 9 months during the initial period of appointment, except with prior approval of the NIH awarding unit, or when trainees are appointed to approved, short-term training positions. All appointees must be able to commit a minimum of 2 years to the grant and can remain on the grant no longer than 3 years. 

Short-term training is not intended, and may not be used, to support activities that would ordinarily be part of a research degree program, nor for any undergraduate-level training. Short-term positions should be requested at the time of application as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. Research training programs solely for short-term research training should not apply to this announcement, but rather the T35 NRSA FOA, which can be found in the NIH Training Kiosk.

The duration of training, the transition of trainees to individual support mechanisms, and their transition to the next career stage are important considerations in institutional training programs.  Training PDs/PIs should limit appointments to individuals who are committed to a research career and who plan to remain in training for no less than two years, whether that support comes from a training grant or some combination of NRSA and non-NRSA support programs.  

Training PDs/PIs should encourage and make available appropriate skills training so that  trainees are prepared to apply for subsequent independent support for their training or research program (e.g., an individual fellowship award, mentored career development award, or research project grant), as appropriate for their career stage.  In addition, past studies (Lenfant, C. Review of the National Institutes of Health Biomedical Research Training Programs, 1989) have shown that health professional trainees who train in programs with postdoctoral trainees who have intensive research backgrounds are more likely to apply for and receive subsequent research grant support.  Programs that emphasize research training for individuals with the M.D. or other health-professional degrees are therefore encouraged to develop ties to basic science departments and include trainees with research doctorates when this approach is consistent with the goals of the proposed training program.

The career outcomes of individuals supported by NRSA training programs include both research-intensive careers in academia and industry and research-related careers in various sectors, e.g., academic institutions, government agencies, for-profit businesses, and private foundations. Training programs should make available structured, career development advising and learning opportunities (e.g., workshops, discussions, Individual Development Plans). Through such opportunities, trainees would obtain a working knowledge of various potential career directions that make strong use of the knowledge and skills gained during research training and the steps required to transition successfully to the next stage of their chosen career.