AHRQ’s Career and Infrastructure Development Programs

1. AHRQ’s Career and Infrastructure Development Programs Kay Anderson, Ph.D. Office of Research Review, Education, and Priority Populations Creighton University November 15, 2007

2. AHRQ’s Training Goal Foster the growth, dissemination, and translation of the field and science of HSR to achieve AHRQ’s mission and address HHS priorities geared toward the transformation of health care.

3. Training Objectives • Individuals: Foster the growth of the next generation of researchers and knowledgeable users of research • Diversity: Foster the institutional and individual diversity in the field of health services research • Science: Foster the development of an integrated science of HSR and refine its foundation

4. Training Opportunities • Pre and Postdoctoral Training • NRSA Institutional Training Programs (T32) • NRSA Predoctoral Fellowships for Underrepresented Minority Students (F31) • NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowships (F32) • Dissertation Grants (R36) • Career Development Awards • Mentored Clinical Scientist Awards (K08) • Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) • Independent Scientist Awards (K02)

5. Training Opportunities (cont.) • Research Infrastructure Programs • Minority Research Infrastructure Support Program (MRISP) • Building Research Infrastructure and Capacity (BRIC) • Intramural Opportunities • Summer Intern Program • Visiting Scholars

6. 2007 AHRQ Research Education Budget *Totals $17.3 million

7. Mentored Clinical Scientist (K08) • Support for clinically-trained doctorates who are committed to a career in HSR • Provisions • Three to five years of support • Salary support up to $90,000 annually  • Up to $25,000 per year for research development support • Two resubmissions allowed • Commit 75% of time to K grant • http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-07-443.html

8. Mentored Research Scientist (K01) • Support for research-trained doctorates who are committed to a career in HSR • Provisions • Three to five years of support • Salary support up to $90,000 annually  • Up to $25,000 per year for research development support • Two resubmissions allowed • Commit 75% of time to K grant • http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-08-022.html

9. Independent Scientist (K02) • Support for the development of newly independent scientists who demonstrate a need for a period of protected research times • Clinically- or research-trained doctorates • Provisions • Three to five years of support • Salary support up to $90,000 annually   • Up to $25,000 per year for research development support • Up to two resubmissions allowed • Commit 75% of time to K grant • http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-07-444.html

10. Application Forms and Submission Predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowship application -- Individual Fellowship Form (PHS 416-1, rev. 06/02) which is available at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/416/phs416.htm Large and Small Conference grants- Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) using the SF424 Research and Related (R&R) forms and SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. Dissertation Grants- A direct link to the SF 424 R&R application instructions can be found at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/424/index.htm. Career Development Grants- Application for Public Health Service Grant (PHS 398—updated August 1, 2003)http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html

11. BRIC’s Birth and Intent • Merit-based, peer-reviewed program in response to Congressional mandate to geographically broaden HSR funding • First cohort - Received <$1M over last 5 years • Second cohort – Received <$3M over last 5 years

12. BRIC I • Original RFA 2001 – 2 years • 17 eligible states, 24 applications received, 6 funded • Limited Competition 2003 – 3 years • 6 original grantees funded

13. First BRIC Cohort • Rutgers University • University of Utah • Louisiana State University • National Association of Health Data Organizations • University of Kentucky • Mississippi State University

14. Current BRIC • RFA published in 2004 • 2 year grant period • 15 eligible states • 43 applications received, 5 funded

15. Alaska Arkansas* Delaware Hawaii Idaho Louisiana Maine* *new state Montana Nebraska* Nevada North Dakota Oklahoma South Dakota West Virginia* Wyoming Eligible States

16. Current BRICs • West Virginia University – Create a data repository, develop collaborative HSR relationships, and establish a mentoring program for junior faculty • University of North Dakota – Build a viable rural and frontier HSR program to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of healthcare in these areas

17. Current BRICs (con’t) • University of Arkansas Medical Sciences – Develop and maintain research databases from several under-utilized state data sources and develop multidisciplinary research mentorship opportunities • University of Southern Maine – Create a Practice Improvement Research Center to develop tools and protocols to conduct practice-based HSR on quality improvement

18. Curent BRICs (con’t) • Creighton University – Develop faculty and infrastructure to maintain sustainable HSR • Develop competitive application for funding during grant • Develop support process for HSR teams • Develop processes for dissemination • Develop mentoring system • PDA project

19. BRIC and MRISP Funding North Dakota Maine Montana West Virginia Idaho Wyoming Nebraska New Jersey Nevada Utah Maryland & DC California North Carolina Tennessee New Mexico Hawaii Mississippi Georgia Louisiana Texas Arkansas Puerto Rico BRIC are in red; MRISP are in yellow; Joint funding is in orange

20. Outcome Success – BRIC • Funding success rates for states receiving BRIC grants have improved in the post-award period.  • Improvement occurred in spite of an overall decline in AHRQ funding success rates (from 26.3% to 19.9%).  • The gap in success rates relative to non-BRIC states was reduced for BRIC states by 8.1 percentage points (and by 2.0 percentage points for BRIC-eligible states) • Similarly, the proportion of AHRQ grant and contract funding to BRIC and BRIC eligible states more than tripled in the post-award period. 

21. BRIC Evaluation • Development of compendium of Best Practices for Developing Research Infrastructure • Answering Questions for Future Program Planning and Outcome Measurement: • What is success? • When are programs ready to “graduate?” • How to best design programs to meet needs of the Agency and the field?

22. Core Competencies for Predoctoral Training • Breadth of HSR theoretical and conceptual knowledge • In-depth disciplinary knowledge and skills • Application of HSR foundational knowledge to health policy problems • Pose innovative HSR questions • Interventional and Observational Study Designs • Primary data collection methods • Secondary data acquisition methods

23. HSR Core Competencies (cont.’d) • Conceptual models and operational measures • Implementation of research protocols • Responsible conduct of research • Multi-disciplinary teamwork • Data analysis • Scientific communication • Stakeholder collaboration and knowledge translation

24. AHRQ Training --Looking to the Future Fostering the “next generation of researchers” who: • actively engage in workforce and knowledge production • emphasize the importance of research and the translation of research to make a difference