Headache Grants

Clinical Research Training Fellowship in Headache

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Foundation is pleased to announce a two-year fellowship to support clinical research training in the field of headache. The fellowship is supported by the AAN, the AAN Foundation, the AAN Foundation Corporate Roundtable, and generous donors to the Research Fund and the Fund for Brain Research.

Each fellowship will consist of a commitment of $55,000 per year for two years, plus $10,000 per year for tuition to support formal education in clinical research methodology at the applicant’s institution or elsewhere. Supplementation of the stipend with other grants or by the fellowship institution is permissible, but fellows may not accept other fellowships, similar awards, or have another source of support for more than 50 percent of their research salary while holding an AAN Foundation Clinical Research Training Fellowship. Only direct costs will be funded by this award.

ELIGIBILITY
1. For the purpose of this fellowship, clinical research is defined as “patient-oriented research conducted with human subjects, or translational research specifically designed to develop treatments or enhance diagnosis of neurological disease. These areas of research include epidemiologic or behavioral studies, clinical trials, studies of disease mechanisms, the development of new technologies, and health services and outcomes research.” Disease-related studies not directly involving humans or human tissue also are encouraged if the primary goal is the development of therapies, diagnostic tests, or other tools to prevent or mitigate neurological diseases.
2. Applicant must be an AAN member interested in an academic career in clinical research who has completed residency or a post-doctoral fellowship (for a PhD) within the past five years. Those early in their clinical research careers will be given priority.

MATERIALS FOR APPLICATION
Submit one complete set of the following application materials via the AAN Foundation website:

1. Letter of nomination from the chair of the department of neurology, including assurance that clinical service responsibilities will be restricted to no more than 20 percent of the fellow’s time.
2. Three-page research plan, including brief statements of aims, background, and the contemplated approaches to methodology and data. The research plan should be written by the applicant and should represent his/her original work. However, the applicant is expected and encouraged to develop this plan based on discussion with the proposed mentor. It is appropriate for the proposed work to be specifically related to the mentor’s ongoing research, but not required.
3. Current curriculum vitae.
4. Two letters of reference supporting the applicant’s potential for a clinical, academic research career and qualifications for the fellowship. Letters of reference are in addition to the three-page research plan.
5. Listing of the applicant’s and mentor’s current and pending support, other than this fellowship, using NIH format.
6. Letter from proposed mentor detailing his/her support of and commitment to the applicant and the proposed research and training plan. The letter should specifically indicate the mentor’s role in the development and preparation of the applicant's research plan.

Letter should describe:
• How the proposed research fits into the mentor’s research program.
• Expertise and experience in the area of research proposed and the nature of the mentor’s proposed time commitment to the supervision and training of the applicant.
• Mentor’s prior experience in the supervision, training, and successful mentoring of clinician scientists.
• Potential for applicant’s future research career and comparison of applicant amongst other residents.
• More than one mentor is permitted. One mentor should be designated as primary and be responsible for administrative issues.
7. Proposed mentor’s NIH Biosketch.
8. Document describing arrangements for formal course work including: quantitative clinical epidemiology, biostatistics, study design, data analysis, and ethics.

Documentation must outline:
• Hours and content of the proposed formal instruction
• Availability of tutorial assistance for the research project
• Computer approaches to statistical analysis at the host institution

EVALUATION AND SELECTION
Applications are evaluated by members of the Clinical Research Subcommittee, Translational Neuroscience Subcommittee, and various ad-hoc reviewers based on the following criteria:

• Applicant’s ability and promise as a clinician-scientist based on prior record of achievement and career plan, letters of reference, and curriculum vitae (30%)
• Quality and nature of the training to be provided and the institutional, departmental, and mentor-specific training environment (30%)
• Quality and originality of the research plan (40%)

Evaluations will be forwarded to the AAN Foundation Research Council for final determination of the award. Funding begins within 30 days after executing a signed agreement with the American Academy of Neurology Foundation and the recipient’s institution.

ANNUAL AND FINAL PROGRESS REPORTS
An annual progress report is due in May of the first year. Renewal of the award in year two is contingent upon presentation of a satisfactory progress report. Additionally, a final research report and a final expenditure report are due within 60 days following the close of the grant term. The institution must prepare the final expenditure report.

DEADLINE AND ADDRESS
All applications and supporting materials must be received by October 1, 2010.
Notification of recipients: January 2011.

All materials must be submitted online. Apply now at www.aan.com/view/CRTF

Clinical Research Training Fellowship Program
American Academy of Neurology Foundation
Terry Heinz, Grants Administrator
Phone: (651) 695-2746 / Email: theinz@aan.com

National Headache Foundation Research Grant

The National Headache Foundation (NHF) deadline for accepting research protocols for funding consideration is December 1, 2010. If you are interested in submitting a request, please contact: 

National Headache Foundation
Attn: Research Grants
820 N. Orleans, Suite 217
Chicago, Illinois 60610-3132

The projects will be evaluated by the Research and Medical Information Committee early in 2011 and grant recipients will be notified soon after.

The National Headache Foundation (NHF) supports research in the field of headache and pain as a part of our mission, which also includes offering education and information to headache sufferers.

The National Headache Foundation is interested in research protocols that are objectively sound and whose results can, when published in the medical literature, contribute to the better understanding and treatment of headache and pain. Grants from the NHF will not cover costs including overhead, salaries (payment for technicians, others collecting data, administrative services, etc.), purchasing of equipment, rent or other indirect expenses.

Grants may be used for the purchasing of supplies needed for the study (chemical or pharmacological reagents, laboratory animals, tissue culture materials. forms, etc) and for costs related to the recruiting of patients, data analysis, interpreting or reading results, etc

The projects will be evaluated by the Research and Medical Information Committee early in 2011 and grant recipients will be notified by March 1. If you would like a copy of the grant application, visit our Web site at www.headaches.org or call 1-888-NHF-5552 to request a printed copy.

Add-a-Day Scientific Conference Grants

These grants support Add-a-Day conferences which are those meetings that occur at the beginning or end of a scientific conference other than American Psychological Association.

Deadline: June 1, 2010; December 1, 2010

Sponsor: Science Directorate

Add-a-Day conferences are those meetings that occur at the beginning or end of a scientific conference other than APA (e.g., Society for Ingestive Behavior or Psychonomics Society). The other organization need not be primarily psychology oriented. The conference may result in a volume or an alternative form of publication.

The funding range is from $500 to $3,000.

Prospective applicants are urged to consult with APA Science Directorate staff for advice on the conference organization and application (e.g., formats or budget allowances). The committee makes recommendations for funding to the Science Directorate. The review period is approximately 8 weeks.

The requirements below must be met in order to submit a proposal.

* One of the primary organizers must be a member of APA.
* Only academic institutions accredited by a regional body may apply. Independent research institutions must provide evidence of affiliation with such an accredited institution. Joint proposals from cooperating institutions are encouraged.
* Conferences may be held only in the United States, its possessions, or Canada.
* APA governance groups including APA Divisions and related entities are not eligible for funding under this program.

Conference proceedings and presentation materials (including electronic presentations) must be submitted to APA three months after the date the conference is held. APA will hold the conference proceedings for three years. If a book has not been published by APA or another publisher within the three-year holding period, APA will place the conference proceedings in PsycEXTRA.

PsycEXTRA is a companion database to the scholarly PsycINFO, which is designed to link academics, clinicians, librarians, consumers, policy-makers, and researchers to a variety of information sources covering psychology, behavioral science, and health; PsycEXTRA provides the readership with original documents, including proceedings, newsletters, magazines, newspapers, technical and annual reports, government reports, and consumer brochures.

Organizers should send the original proposal and seven copies including all appendices to the Science Directorate by the deadline.

Contact:
APA Science Directorate
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
202/336-6000
202/336-6123 TDD
science@apa.org