NIH Biographical Sketches: Discussing the New Format February 23, 2015 Joann Sullivan, PhD Director, Office of Research Development 1
NIH Biographical Sketches Biosketch format that must be used for due dates on/after May 25, 2015: 2
Section A: Personal Statement NIH Instructions: Briefly describe why you are well-suited for your role in the project described in this application. The relevant factors may include aspects of your training; your previous experimental work on this specific topic or related topics; your technical expertise; your collaborators or scientific environment; and your past performance in this or related fields (you may mention specific contributions to science that are not included in Section C). Also, you may identify up to four peer reviewed publications that specifically highlight your experience and qualifications for this project. If you wish to explain impediments to your past productivity, you may include a description of factors such as family care responsibilities, illness, disability, and active duty military service. Joann s Suggestions: Use 1 st paragraph to describe your research interests/expertise. Use 2 nd paragraph (or additional paragraphs if more than one role) to describe your specific role in the particular project, with emphasis on special experience or qualifications (Note: this paragraph can and should be customized / interchangable depending on the specific proposal). Maybe use 3 rd paragraph to seque into (up to) 4 of your latest, greatest publications (with PMCID number). These publications could and should be updated. 3
Section B: Positions and Honors NIH Instructions List in chronological order previous positions, concluding with the present position. List any honors. Include present membership on any Federal Government public advisory committee. 4
Section C: Contributions to Science NIH Instructions Briefly describe up to five of your most significant contributions to science. For each contribution, indicate the historical background that frames the scientific problem; the central finding(s); the influence of the finding(s) on the progress of science or the application of those finding(s) to health or technology; and your specific role in the described work. For each of these contributions, reference up to four peer-reviewed publications or other non-publication research products (can include audio or video products; patents; data and research materials; databases; educational aids or curricula; instruments or equipment; models; protocols; and software or netware) that are relevant to the described contribution. The description of each contribution should be no longer than one half page including figures and citations. Also provide a URL to a full list of your published work as found in a publicly available digital database such as SciENcv or My Bibliography, which are maintained by the US National Library of Medicine. Joann s Suggestions Keep the narrative(s) short, on the order of 3-4 sentences followed by publications and/or other products. Once written, this entire section could stay more or less the same with only minor updates. Note that this Section ends with: Complete List of Published Work in MyBibliography (or SciENcv): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/collections/public/1pgt7iefiajbtgmrddwfmjwao/?sort=date&direction=ascending 5
Section D: Research Support NIH Instructions List both selected ongoing and completed research projects for the past three years (Federal or non-federally-supported). Begin with the projects that are most relevant to the research proposed in the application. Briefly indicate the overall goals of the projects and responsibilities of the key person identified on the Biographical Sketch. Do not include number of person months or direct costs. EXAMPLE: Ongoing Research Support R01 DA942367 Hunt (PI) 09/01/08-08/31/16 NIH/NIDA Health Trajectories and Behavioral Interventions Among Older Substance Abusers The goal of this study is to compare the effects of two substance abuse interventions on health outcomes in an urban population of older opiate addicts. Role: PI Completed Research Support R21 AA998075 Merrill (PI) 01/01/11-12/31/13 NIH/NIAAA Community-based Intervention for Alcohol Abuse The goal of this project was to assess a community-based strategy for reducing alcohol abuse among older individuals. Role: Co-I 6
Example A. Personal Statement I am well published and widely recognized as an expert in applying biomechanical and neurophysiological principles to understand the normal coordination of locomotion as well as the specific locomotor deficits in persons with post-stroke hemiparesis (paralysis of one side of the body) from the pathophysiological level to functional impairment. My research combines theoretical and experimental studies of the control of locomotion, functional biomechanics, bilateral coordination and clinical neurorehabilitation with the goal of improving walking in persons with neurological disorders. I have 20 years of experience in measuring motor performance related to neuromuscular control, with research funding primarily from the NIH and VA, and have published more than 70 peer-reviewed articles. I have been PI or Co-PI of 16 different awards in stroke rehabilitation totaling more than $7 million, including continuous NIH R01 funding 2000-2013 and an R01 renewal pending. I also have been PI or Co-PI for another $1.5 million dollars in rehabilitation research not directly related to stroke. I will serve as the Principal Investigator/Program Director for this COBRE application to establish the South Carolina Center for Recovery from Stroke. As Chair of the Department of Health Sciences and Research in the College of Health Professions, I have substantial administrative experience. I also have served on the Executive Committees for several largescale centers including the University of Florida Claude Pepper Center on Aging, the VA Brain Rehabilitation Research Center in Gainesville, FL, and currently the South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research Institute (SCTR) MUSC. I have substantial experience in mentoring junior faculty. I have served as primary mentor for five Assistant Professors who were awarded VA Career Development Awards. In total, I have served as mentor on 17 mentored grants for early-stage investigators, either NIH K awards or VA Career Development Awards, with most of the mentees (12) pursuing stroke rehabilitation research. In addition, I have served as primary advisor for 4 PhD students and as a committee member for 23 additional PhD students. Keep this introductory paragraph the same (w/updates if needed). Change this type of paragraph out, depending on your role in the specific proposal. Use this type of paragraph in relevant grants, e.g., if you serve as a mentor or sponsor in T-, K-, or F-type mechanisms. 7
ANOTHER EXAMPLE A.Personal Statement The research in my laboratory focuses on a class of sphingolipids containing 2- hydroxy fatty acids (hfa-sphingolipids). hfa-sphingolipids are uniquely abundant in myelin in the mammalian nervous system. The enzyme fatty acid 2-hydroxylase (FA2H) is responsible for the biosynthesis of myelin hfa-sphingolipids. Mutations in the FA2H gene cause leukodystrophy and spastic paraparesis in children. We use a mouse model of FA2H deficiency to develop therapeutics for the leukodystrophy. Additional projects are aimed at elucidating the mechanism of how FA2H and hfa-sphingolipids are involved in myelination, glial cell signaling, and cell differentiation. Since 2002, I have mentored a total of 10 trainees (2 undergraduate summer students, 1 summer medical student, 1 PhD student, 1 visiting postdoctoral fellow, 5 postdoctoral fellow). Among them, 2 currently are assistant professors at academic institutions (Boston University, MA; GITAM University, India), 2 are medical residents, and 1 holds an administrative position at a Department of Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. I have served as a member of PhD advisory committees for 4 students. For the College of Graduate Studies, I served on the Graduate Admissions Committee from 2006 to 2009. I have taught various courses every year, one of which was directed by myself (BMB 605E Molecular Foundation of Medicine: Autophagy in Human Diseases. College of Graduate Studies, Spring 2009). At the Department level, I am currently a member of the MUSC Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Graduate Training Committee, which oversees progress of the graduate students in the department and administers the qualifying examination. My publication record to date includes XX peer-reviewed manuscripts in leading journals in the field. Four of my most recent publications are listed below: To maximize the number of publications listed, you could use a third paragraph to list up to 4 of your latest/greatest.