The Health Effects Institute
"A Partnership of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Industry"

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS 98-5

WALTER A. ROSENBLITH1 NEW INVESTIGATOR AWARD

1 This award is named for Professor Walter A. Rosenblith, who served as the first Chair of HEI's Research Committee (from 1980 to 1989) and as a member of the HEI Board of Directors from 1990 to 1996.   Professor Rosenblith's vision of science and standard of excellence enabled HEI to quickly develop a strong scientific program.  At his urging, HEI developed a program that not  only funds  research that would contribute needed scientific information for regulation, but also research to strengthen the fundamental science related to environmental issues. Professor Rosenblith supported activities intended to attract people engaged in more basic scientific research so that they might bring new tools and new ideas to environmental questions.

INTRODUCTION

HEI has established the New Investigator Award to provide funding for outstanding investigators who are beginning independent research. By providing financial support for investigators at this point in their careers, HEI hopes to encourage highly qualified individuals to undertake research on the health effects of air pollution.

Each award will be up to $75,000 per year in direct costs to support a research project for up to three years. The funds can be used to provide salary support for the investigator and supporting personnel as well as operating costs, including supplies and equipment. It is expected that the investigator will devote at least 50% of his or her time to this project or related research. HEI expects to provide one award from this RFA and to continue this award on an annual basis.

HEI RESEARCH PROGRAM

Since 1983, HEI's research program has addressed a broad range of questions about the health effects of air pollutants derived from motor vehicle emissions and other sources. Pollutants studied have included air toxics (aldehydes, benzene, 1,3-butadiene), carbon monoxide, diesel particles and associated compounds, methanol, nitrogen oxides, ozone, and particulate matter. Emissions from vehicles using conventional, reformulated, oxygenated, and diesel fuels are of interest. This includes secondary pollutants derived from them and the whole air pollution mixture to which these pollutants contribute.

In considering potential research topics, applicants should be aware of HEI's current areas of interest. HEI's strategic plan, developed in 1994, designates three high priority research areas: air toxics, ambient particulate matter, and oxygenated fuels and fuel additives (such as MTBE).  Appendix A, a Strategic Plan Update, is provided to give potential applicants to RFA 98-5 information on HEI's mission, current research priorities and ongoing and planned research; Appendix B, which provides a listing of HEI studies and reports, provides additional information on the pollutants and issues in which HEI has been interested.

HEI studies have covered a wide range of designs: controlled human and animal exposures, in vivo and in vitro experiments, model development, and epidemiologic investigations. HEI emphasizes the importance of accurate characterization of exposure as well as health effects in all studies. There are several cross-cutting issues that HEI's Strategic Plan emphasizes. One of these is to identify and evaluate effects in susceptible groups that may respond at lower levels of exposure than “normal subjects.” Studies that address the effects of multiple pollutants are important in understanding health effects of the ambient environment. The Strategic Plan encourages research on mechanisms by which toxic agents cause injury and disease and for quantifying actual dose received by tissues, cells, and macromolecules. Finally, because the ultimate goal of HEI's research is understanding effects in people, both human studies and studies to improve extrapolation from animals to humans are an important part of HEI's program.

The ultimate goal of research funded by HEI is to provide data that can inform regulatory decisions about air quality. HEI also encourages the development of new methods and technologies that could be used later to provide data useful for regulatory purposes. At the end of the project, the awardee must submit a comprehensive final report describing the project and results (see Section on Project Negotiation, Project Management, and Investigator Commitments on pp. 31–33).

HEI encourages investigators to submit applications addressing the high priority research issues described above. However, HEI realizes that other areas of research may lead to results important to its mission. For this reason, we will also consider particularly innovative or high quality applications in other areas that speak to the overall goals of HEI's program.

RFA 98-5: APPLICATION PROCESS AND DEADLINES

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Scientists holding a Ph.D., Sc.D., M.D., D.V.M., or Dr. P.H. degree or equivalent are eligible to apply. At the time of application the candidate should have one to six years of postdoctoral experience and must be in an entry-level position at an academic institution (generally assistant professor level) or its equivalent in a research institution. At the time of the appointment, HEI will require the candidate's institution to make a tangible commitment to helping the awardee become established as an independent investigator. Commitments can take many forms, such as providing laboratory space, financial support for a laboratory, or paying part of the awardee's salary.

Eligible candidates should be recognized by their peers to possess outstanding research potential. Evidence of this potential, in the form of written letters of support and publication is an essential part of the application materials.

LETTER OF INTENT

Although not required as part of the application process, applicants are encouraged to submit a one-page Letter of Intent summarizing the proposed project prior to submitting an application. The Letter of Intent should specify the research goals of the project and indicate the general approach to be used.

HEI requests Letters of Intent in order to organize the application review process. In some instances, HEI may advise the applicant that the work described does not appear to address HEI's research goals.

Deadline for Letters of Intent:. The Letter of Intent should be received no later than Tuesday, December 15, 1998 at the following address:


Ms. Terésa Fasulo
Senior Administrative Assistant
Health Effects Institute
955 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139
Tel: (617) 876-6700

FULL APPLICATION

The full application consists of two parts: (1) a formal proposal for a research project of up to three years and associated materials; and (2) evidence of qualification. Inquiries regarding application and evaluation procedures may be directed to Dr. Martha Richmond or Dr. Jane Warren at (617)876-6700 or by e-mail:
mrichmond@healtheffects.org or jwarren@healtheffects.org

The research proposal must be submitted on forms you will find by clicking here (PDF format, 55 KB). Investigators should consult Instructions for Completing the Application.

In addition to the materials required in the application, the following should also be submitted as evidence of qualification:

(1) A cover letter describing the candidate's interest in the award and how this project fits with his or her career goals.

(2) Two sealed letters of reference from well-established scientists familiar with the candidate's professional capabilities. The letters should address the candidate's past contributions to scientific achievements, and the candidate's potential to pursue and develop an independent research program. Whenever possible, one of these letters should be from a postdoctoral research mentor.

(3) A letter from an administrator such as a department chair, or other administrative official from the candidate's present institution, indicating tangible institutional commitment to the candidate.

(4) Three recent publications.

Fifteen copies of each application are needed by HEI for the review process.

Deadline for applications: Applications for RFA 98-5 must either reach the offices of the Health Effects Institute by Monday, March 15, 1999, or be sent by overnight air delivery service postmarked by that date. Applications not meeting these conditions will not be considered.

Applications should be submitted to Ms. Terésa Fasulo at HEI.

RFA 98-5: EVALUATION PROCESS

Qualifications of the applicant, the quality and relevance of the proposed research, and the research environment will be considered in evaluating applications. Applications will be evaluated by HEI in a two-stage process: an external review followed by an internal review by HEI's Research Committee.

EXTERNAL REVIEW

External scientists selected for their relevant expertise in the area of proposed research will evaluate the applications according to the following criteria:.

Qualifications of the candidate will be reviewed according to the following criteria:

INTERNAL REVIEW

The Research Committee will then review the full applications with consideration of the comments and recommendations of the external reviewers. The Research Committee makes final recommendations regarding funding of studies to the Institute's Board of Directors, which makes the final decision.

 

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