T32 PreDoctoral: Program-Specific Breakout

Catherine Leimkuhler Grimes

University of Delaware

cgrimes@udel.edu

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NIH NIGMS

Biomedical Training Program Directors Conference

Workforce Development, and Diversity (TWD)

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)

July 8, 2024

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No conflicts of interest to declare

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Ivo D. Dinov

University of Michigan

statistics@umich.edu

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T32 Overall Goals

A central theme of our Subgroup is to develop a diverse pool of well-trained scientists with technical, operational, and professional skills necessary to conduct rigorous and reproducible research, and transition into careers in the biomedical research workforce.

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The T32 training programs should be well integrated within one or more graduate department(s)/program(s) and is expected to exert a strong, positive influence on the development and execution of the graduate curriculum, training opportunities and mentoring.

Dr. Mercedes Rubio

NIH Leadership

Dr. Alison Gammie

14 T32 PreDoctoral “Flavors”

Systems and Integrative Biology

New Programs?

Trans-

departmental

Basic Biomedical Sciences

Outline

1:30 – 1:35: Welcome to the T32 Predoctoral TP PI Session

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1:35 - 2:00:Panel Discussion with NIGMS Leadership

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2:00 – 2:10: Pre-meeting PI Survey and Qualitative/Quantitative Results (PDF)

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2:10 – 2:40: Breakout Discussion (10 per table)

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2:40 – 3:00: Summary Reports and Moving Forward

FASEB Meeting 2024��

Alison Gammie, PhD

Mercedes Rubio, PhD

Sydella Blatch Alexander, PhD

Michelle Bond, PhD

Marie Harton, PhD

Sailaja Koduri, PhD

Miljan Simonovic, PhD

Dimitrios Vatakis, PhD

Nie Zhongzhen, PhD

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NIGMS

TWD

Predoctoral Basic Biomedical and Medical Science Training Programs Branch

T32 Predoc Program Specific Breakout

Panel Discussion

Questions for the leadership from the survey

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1. Could you please highlight what is new in the latest FOA? Do you anticipate changes? How often do you think it is reasonable to change the FOA? Can you describe any new supplement opportunities?

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2. As Graduate students unionize across the country, stipends continue to increase. How do you see NIH responding to these stipend increases? How would you suggest training grants supplement them? What is the best mechanism for supplementing (aside from University Match).

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3. The PIs gathered in the room, spend a significant amount of time directing these programs, are there mechanisms in place to increase support for T32 PS and other training-related topics?

FASEB Meeting 2024��

Alison Gammie, PhD

Mercedes Rubio, PhD

Sydella Blatch Alexander, PhD

Michelle Bond, PhD

Marie Harton, PhD

Sailaja Koduri, PhD

Miljan Simonovic, PhD

Dimitrios Vatakis, PhD

Nie Zhongzhen, PhD

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NIGMS

TWD

Predoctoral Basic Biomedical and Medical Science Training Programs Branch

T32 Predoc Program Specific Breakout

Submitted Questions

• Could you please highlight what is new in the latest NOFO?  Do you anticipate changes? How often do you think it is reasonable to change the NOFO? Can you describe any new supplement opportunities? 

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• As graduate students unionize across the country, stipends continue to increase. How do you see NIH responding to these stipend increases? How would you suggest training grants supplement them? What is the best mechanism for supplementing (aside from University Match). 

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• The PIs gathered in the room, spend a significant amount of time directing these programs, are there mechanisms in place to increase support for T32 PS and other training-related topics? 

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Submitted Questions

• Could you please highlight what is new in the latest NOFO?  Do you anticipate changes? How often do you think it is reasonable to change the NOFO? Can you describe any new supplement opportunities? 

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• As graduate students unionize across the country, stipends continue to increase. How do you see NIH responding to these stipend increases? How would you suggest training grants supplement them? What is the best mechanism for supplementing (aside from University Match). 

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• The PIs gathered in the room, spend a significant amount of time directing these programs, are there mechanisms in place to increase support for T32 PS and other training-related topics? 

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Predoctoral Basic Biomedical (BBM) �NOFO Updates�PAR-23-228

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BBM NOFO Changes: �Other Attachments

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BBM NOFO Changes: �Other Attachments

Recruitment plan to enhance diversity 

• Old Language: The overall plan will be rated as ACCEPTABLE only if the recruitment strategies for all of the relevant groups identified in the Notice of NIH's Interest in Diversity are viewed by the review panel as acceptable, otherwise the plan will be rated as UNACCEPTABLE.   
• New Language: Is the recruitment process responsive to the Baseline Data on the Trainee Pool? Does the training program’s recruitment plan describe effective strategies to reach a broad range of potential trainees that are program-specific and go beyond organizational recruitment efforts? 

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BBM NOFO Changes: Appendix

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Data Table Updates�General and Program-Specific Updates

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Changes are intended to reduce burden and promote consistency in the requested information

• For all data tables
• Updated table instructions to clarify terms and lettering for training stage
• Remove redundancies by not asking for structured data available elsewhere in the application
• Multiple changes specific to predoctoral, postdoctoral, undergraduate, and international training tables, including:
• Update Table 1 - applicants will only be required to provide information relevant to the training stage(s) in the proposed program.
• Realign Table 5 - focus on the outcomes only on trainees supported by the grant.
• Table 6 - remove some trainee characteristics.
• Table 8 - remove “Part II. Those Clearly Associated with the Training Grant” & encourage reporting this information in the Program Plan Section or RPPR narrative
• Implementation: Applications with due dates on/after January 25, 2025.
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Resources

• NIH Research Training Website: Welcome to Research Training | Research Training (nih.gov)
• Updates to NIH Training Grants: Updates to NIH Institutional Training Grant Applications | grants.nih.gov
• NIH Data Tables: Data Tables | grants.nih.gov(updates forthcoming)
• eRa Service Desk: Need Help? | eRA (nih.gov) (technical aspects of NIH systems like xTrain and xTract)

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Submitted Questions

• Could you please highlight what is new in the latest NOFO?  

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• Do you anticipate changes?

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• How often do you think it is reasonable to change the NOFO?

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• Can you describe any new supplement opportunities? 

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Submitted Questions

• Could you please highlight what is new in the latest NOFO?  Do you anticipate changes? How often do you think it is reasonable to change the NOFO? Can you describe any new supplement opportunities? 

​

• As graduate students unionize across the country, stipends continue to increase. How do you see NIH responding to these stipend increases? How would you suggest training grants supplement them? What is the best mechanism for supplementing (aside from University Match). 

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• The PIs gathered in the room, spend a significant amount of time directing these programs, are there mechanisms in place to increase support for T32 PS and other training-related topics? 

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Submitted Questions

• Could you please highlight what is new in the latest NOFO?  Do you anticipate changes? How often do you think it is reasonable to change the NOFO? Can you describe any new supplement opportunities? 

​

• As graduate students unionize across the country, stipends continue to increase. How do you see NIH responding to these stipend increases? How would you suggest training grants supplement them? What is the best mechanism for supplementing (aside from University Match). 

​

• The PIs gathered in the room, spend a significant amount of time directing these programs, are there mechanisms in place to increase support for T32 PS and other training-related topics? 

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Outline

1:30 – 1:35: Welcome to the T32 Predoctoral TP PI Session

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1:35 - 2:00:Panel Discussion with NIGMS Leadership

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2:00 – 2:10: Pre-meeting PI Survey and Qualitative/Quantitative Results (PDF)

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2:10 – 2:40: Breakout Discussion (10 per table)

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2:40 – 3:00: Summary Reports and Moving Forward

Breakout Discussions

• Fiscal limitations and caps on funded slots.

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• Institutional support for proposal preparation.

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• Challenges in tracking students and their training activities.

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• Funding to match salary increases and coordination across multiple departments.

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• Mentor Training

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• Administrative Support

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Panel Discussion Wrap-Up

Monthly Meetings/Office Hours Facilitated by NIGMS?

Summary and Moving Forward

• What can we do to keep discussions going?

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• How can we best work together to help each other?

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T32 PreDoctoral: Program-Specific Breakout

Catherine Leimkuhler Grimes

University of Delaware

cgrimes@udel.edu

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Thank you!

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Please look for post-meeting

survey to keep in touch with us

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Ivo D. Dinov

University of Michigan

statistics@umich.edu

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Post-meeting survey

Some Notes

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Tracking students after T32 program completion.

• Linkedin pages, polls, surveys,
• National Trainee Network, e.g., NCI Fellows Networks, NPA,
• Non-TGE student participation in T32 curriculum Programs (without funding)

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NIHMS T32 Predoc Fellow marketplace exchange, all Trainees can register/profiles, share projects, recruit predicts, and offer jobs for T32 grads.

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Mentor-training (train-the-trainer)...

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PI salary (20-10% in-kind, stipend, perks)?

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Indirects…. Differences between institutional support levels…

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Student Unionization/salaries/funding gap….

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Some Notes

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Table 8 - mandate from the NIH that trainees graduate to Bench science and/or academia. How much flexibility is there – especially for training specific internships (biotech). NIH challenged us to broaden our mentoring skills – identifying different career paths – NIH should be amenable to these career outcomes. Redefine how they define success.

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List of Institutional Supports: building foundations, defining communities – we should be able to write the application around our strengths – ask NIH to priotize the low-cost mechanisms; reward us for being successful; modulate the funding mechanisms to where programs are doing well. Funding faculty effort;

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Unionization – challenges to the NIH – are students appointed to training grants allowed to be in a union?

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COVID - how to justify on our proposals come renewal time

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Some Notes

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Supplement for students needing help with childcare. An depth discussion is needed to assure that childcare support is available to those students who need it; funding window is too specific.

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Evaluation of mentors; report card system – how do we remove a trainer from the program; program bi-laws — does the NIH have bi-laws that we could use to remove a trainer.

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There is tension between Administration and T32: like the prestigious nature but hate the low overhead rate; could this be negotiated with the NIH.

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Mentor Training – CIMER training, 1:1 mentor/mentee training (like pre-Cana when getting married). Frequency/Duration

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External Evaluation of the T32 – done anonymously by the University

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Burden of Tracking – centralize if possible; this could be a University support

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Some Notes

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To keep the band together:

Need tri-annual meet ups (first one in early December)

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SLACK channel – way to facilitate discussion and quick answers to questions from the broader community.

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To provide feedback, contribute, or provide corrections,

please contact: Ms. Julia Eussen, jneussen@med.umich.edu

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