The early career faculty in UW Pediatrics will have the opportunity to participate in a hands-on, in-depth grant writing course for UW School of Medicine clinical and health services investigators. At the end of this 12-week class, you will have a completely written grant in the final stages to be submitted to a funding organization.
If you are planning to write an NIH K (career development) or R (investigator-initiated) award (or equivalent to a different funding agency) for submission in early 2025, we encourage you to apply!
Here are important facts about the course:
- This is a 12-week course on Wednesdays from 3:00-5:00PM from September 11 to November 27, with a final 4-hour mock study section scheduled for the week of December 9. Note that there are 10 class sessions, as there is no class during Thanksgiving week or the evening before the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.
- The course will be online, and attendance at class time is required, with a few exceptions, such as religious holidays. We will record the classes. Please note that a large part of the value of the class comes from peer-to-peer interactions on their grant ideas.
- The focus of the courses will be on K and early R awards. The format will be interactive small group sessions with substantial homework between sessions (writing each section of the grant and critiquing other participants’ drafts) estimated at 8-10 hours per week.
- Writing a K or R award is a heavy lift. The course and writing will take an average of 10-12 hours per week for the entire course. Each year, we have had students underestimate the commitment and, consequently, either need to drop out or feel constantly challenged to keep up with the pace of the course. Early career faculty who have taken the course have found it invaluable, and several have already been funded based on work and learnings from the class. In fact, about 50% of the scholars have received funding!
- The junior faculty member’s mentor is also expected to be involved in reviewing all coursework, provide written feedback to you, copy the course instructors, and actively attend the 1-hour mock study section at the end of the course.
- The Department of Pediatrics or the UW Institute for Translational Health Sciences (ITHS) will cover the cost of the course.
If you would like to be considered as a nominee from the Department of Pediatrics, please submit the following by April 30 to Patrick Lennon:
- Grant mechanism to which you will be applying
- Intended submission date
- 1-2 paragraphs about the objectives of the grant
- The name of your mentor and a statement that they understand their responsibilities. If you are selected as a Department of Pediatrics nominee, we will also need a letter of support from your mentor.
Drs. Annette Fitzpatrick and Larry Kessler will interview and select candidates for the course from nominees made by each department to make sure applicants are prepared for the amount of work the course entails.
Click here to access the Clinical Science Grant Writing Short Course details.
Questions? Please contact:
Margaret Rosenfeld, MD, MPH, Associate Vice Chair for Clinical Research
Patrick Lennon, Administrator for Research, Pediatrics
You can also contact Dr. Fitzpatrick and/or Dr. Kessler directly regarding the curriculum.