ASBMB calls for changes to NIH fellowship review
The 麻豆传媒色情片 and 麻豆传媒色情片 Biology submitted five policy recommendations last week to the National Institutes of Health Center for Scientific Review advocating for changes to the National Research Service Award Fellowship application and review process to improve equity and reduce bias:
- Allow applicants to explain the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on their careers.
- Allow victims of harassment to explain disruptions to their careers.
- Incorporate implicit bias training for reviewers.
- Reduce emphasis on undergraduate coursework.
- Reduce the emphasis on the principal investigator’s training track record.
of Miami University, who leads the ASBMB Public Affairs Advisory Committee, said the recommendations were written with this in mind: “A community of researchers with greater diversity of voices, backgrounds and experiences produces research that is more innovative and more impactful.”
He emphasized: “Increased equity in fellowship applications review will improve diversity of awardees and reap positive impacts on the careers of a wider range of trainees and long-term positive impacts for the scientific research enterprise.”
The NIH CSR assesses an applicant’s potential to contribute significantly to biomedical research based on five main criteria:
- Applicant
- Sponsor(s), collaborators and consultants
- Research training plan
- Training potential
- Institutional environment and commitment to training
While past success can be indicative of future success, this approach disadvantages applicants with massive potential who have faced significant challenges outside their control and/or were not exposed to the same opportunities. A recently voiced concerns that the current evaluation criteria make it difficult to assess an applicant’s potential, disadvantage smaller schools with less resources than larger institutions, and cause junior faculty to feel unlikely to succeed in sponsoring an applicant.
On Jan. 6, Bruce Reed, deputy director of the CSR, authored a requesting feedback from the scientific community on how to improve the fellowship review process.
“In answering, think about the characteristics of strong applicants, sponsors, and training programs and the challenge of identifying the applications that have the greatest potential to develop independent, productive research scientists,” he wrote.
ASBMB PAAC member of the University of Pittsburgh, said he suspects “most faculty mentors would agree that the top trainees are those who fearlessly attack difficult problems and, through a combination of curiosity, creative insights and struggle, end up succeeding.”
However, Brodsky said, it’s tough to gauge that in an application.
“I always appreciate the letter or mentor’s statement that discusses how a tough barrier was encountered and overcome as a result of these traits,” he said. “Instead, too many written analyses of a candidate focus only on the accomplishments and offer the impression that results came with ease.”
Other societies, such as the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, have shared similar concerns and have touted the benefits of shifting away from a dyadic mentorship structure in support of mentorship networks.
In for CSR, FASEB wrote: “(T)he National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report ‘’ highlights the benefits of nondyadic mentoring structures. The current emphasis on the sponsor does not create an expectation that trainees sustain a meaningful mentor network.”
Read the ASBMB’s full comments here.
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition weekly.
Learn moreGet the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we鈥檒l send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in Policy
Policy highlights or most popular articles
Applied research won鈥檛 flourish without basic science
Three senior figures at the US National Institutes of Health explain why the agency remains committed to supporting basic science and research.
ASBMB weighs in on NIH reform proposal
The agency must continue to prioritize investigator-initiated, curiosity-driven basic research, society says.
ASBMB seeks feedback on NIH postdoc training questions
The National Institutes of Health takes steps toward addressing concerns about support caps, a funding mechanism and professional development.
5 growing threats to academic freedom
From educational gag orders to the decline of tenure-track positions, academic freedom in the United States has been worsening in recent years.
Will Congress revive the China Initiative?
The 2018 program to counter economic espionage raised fears about anti-Asian discrimination and discouraged researchers.
The sweeping impact of the Supreme Court鈥檚 Chevron reversal
Repealing the 40-year-old doctrine throws laws on climate, conservation, health, technology and more into doubt.