NIH Extramural Loan Repayment Programs

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NIH Extramural Loan Repayment Programs

• Robert D. Hammond, Ph.D.
• Chair, NIH Extramural LRP Oversight Panel
• Director, DEA, NIDDK
• May 16, 2005

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Purpose

• The Loan Repayment Programs are vital components
  of our nations efforts to attract health
  professionals to careers in the research areas
  specified by the individual programs.

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NIH Loan Repayment Programs

• Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program
• Pediatric Research Loan Repayment Program
• Clinical Research LRP for Individuals from
  Disadvantaged Backgrounds
• Contraception and Infertility Research Loan
  Repayment Program
• Health Disparities Loan Repayment Program

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Features

• In exchange for a two-year commitment to a
  research career responsive to an announced LRP,
  NIH will
• Repay up to 35,000 per year of the qualified
  educational debt,
• Pay an additional 39 of the repayment to cover
  Federal taxes, and
• May reimburse state taxes that result from these
  payments.

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Features contd

• Repayment level is dependent on the total
  educational loan debt and applies to each year of
  obligated service.

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Eligibility

• United States citizens or permanent residents
• M.D., Ph.D., Pharm.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.M.D.,
  D.P.M., D.C., N.D., or equivalent degree

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Eligibility contd

• Qualifying educational debt equal to or in excess
  of 20 percent of their annual income or
  compensation, as applicable, at their expected
  date of program eligibility.

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Eligibility contd

• Must engage in qualified research responsive to
  the specific LRP for at least two years at 50
  effort or above.
• Research must be supported by a domestic
  nonprofit institution and/or by a U.S. Government
  (Federal, state, or local) entity.
• Individuals apply for a single LRP, not to
  multiple LRPs.

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Clinical Research LRPFiscal Year 2004

• Nearly 1,200 new and more than 200 renewal
  applications were submitted to the Clinical
  Research LRP.
• Slightly more than 50 of the new applications
  and nearly 90 of the renewal applications were
  funded.
• More than 50 of awards went to applicants with
  M.D. or M.D./Ph.D. degrees.
• Majority of awardees were within 5 years of
  receipt of their doctoral degree.

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FY 2004 Applications, Awards, and Success Rates
by LRP
Distribution of Awards by LRP
Total Applications 2,411 Total Awards
1,407 Overall Success Rate 58
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NIH Loan Repayment ProgramsFY 2005 Timeline

• 2004
• September 1 FY 05 application cycle
  opens
• September 1-December 31 Applications to CSR
  for referral to ICs
• December 15 Application receipt
  deadline
• 2005
• February 1-May 31 ICs review LRP
  applications
• June 1 IC deadline for providing
  selections to LRP of applications to
  financially vet
• June 1-July 22 LRP collects and vets
  financial information from selected
  applicants and calculates contract costs
• September 1-September 15 Finalize all FY 05
  obligations

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Application Receipt and Referral

• Staff in the NIH Loan Repayment Program screen
  the applications for completeness and
  eligibility.
• Applications are sent to CSR, where they are
  referred to the NIH Institute or Center (IC) to
  which the application will be assigned for review.

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Review

• Peer review Internet Assisted Review,
  standardized across all LRPs and ICs
• Focus is on applicants potential to pursue a
  career in research
• Review criteria are posted on the web for
  applicants and reviewers

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Review Criteria Clinical Research LRP

• Appropriateness of the applicant's previous
  training and experience as preparation for a
  career in clinical research.
• Suitability of the applicant's proposed clinical
  research activities in the two-year period to
  foster a career in clinical research.
• Assessment of the applicant's commitment to a
  clinical research career as reflected by the
  personal statement of long-term career goals and
  the plan outlined to achieve those goals.

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Review Criteria contd

• Strength of recommendations attesting to the
  applicant's potential for a clinical research
  career.
• Availability of appropriate scientific colleagues
  to achieve and/or enhance the applicant's
  research independence.
• Quality and appropriateness of institutional
  resources and facilities.

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IC Funding Considerations

• Funding considerations priority score,
  critiques, program balance, stage of career.
• Applications can be transferred across IC lines
  before funding.
• ICs make awards to meet a pre-announced set-aside
  budget. The NIH intends to commit approximately
  59 million in Fiscal Year 2005 to the Clinical
  and Pediatric Research LRPs.

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Awards

• Awards are made by the end of the fiscal year,
  after NIH Loan Repayment Program Office conducts
  final vetting for eligibility.

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Review Challenges

• Expertise range large numbers of applications
  with a reasonable sized review panel
• Clear instructions to reviewers these are not
  research project grant applications
• Feedback to unsuccessful applicants