The National Institutes of Health (NIH) just released its strategic plan, designed as their guide for 2016-2020. The plan is not long (45 pages), but I thought I'd use this blog as an executive summary. The NIH will use this plan as complementary to the individual institutes' plans, so it is certainly worth looking at the current strategic plan of any institute in which you are interested in seeking funding as well.
In its plan, the NIH laid out four objectives:
1. Advance Opportunities in Biomedical Research
The NIH is looking to seize on the "cross-cutting opportunities" in three areas: fundamental science, health promotion/disease prevention, and treatment. Key to these are the increased and enhanced data sharing that will allow for more collaborative work in these key areas. Additionally, the NIH is promoting collaboration across the public and private sectors vying for the most innovative approaches. The re-focusing on fundamental science may mean that for more basic scientists, they may find more of an entree into NIH where they may have sensed a larger push toward translational approaches previously. Under the health promotion/disease prevention category, the NIH is particularly focused on "precision medicine," to encourage more individualized treatments to disease prevention and management. Additionally, they are looking to streamline clinical trials through their Clinical and Translational programs and in updating the Common Rule protections.
2. Foster Innovation by Setting NIH Priorities
The NIH will be engaging in prioritization over the next five years. Along with this, they will work to ensure that Institute/Center Operations (ICOs) will be allowed to set their own paylines and that the cutoff will be based on peer-review scores. However, ICO Directors will be given flexibility to use their select pay funds on projects that do not fall within the payline, yet meet a named priority for the institute. The NIH will also look for other avenues to increase the nimbleness of their responses to breakthroughs and needs.
Around disease, the NIH will have a focus on the burden of disease, in an effort to better understand the full "cost" of disease (including basic science research). They will also continue to look at rare disease, not only to help those afflicted, but to also enhance understanding of physiology that comes in studying rare diseases. Excitingly, the NIH is going to also invest in the eradication of HIV/AIDS, in an effort to foster the first generation that is HIV/AIDS free in over a half century.
3. Enhance Scientific Stewardship
In an effort to strengthen the Biomedical workforce, the NIH will also look to increase its funding to new and early career investigators in an effort to close the gap between the funding rates for these and more seasoned investigators. Additionally, the NIH will work to increase the Biomedical workforce diversity, with particular attention to racial diversity.
The NIH will also continue its work, in collaboration with scientific journals to increase the reproducibility of the research they fund, conduct, and publish. On the administrative side, the NIH will look to streamline the reporting system to lessen the burden on PI's. They will also look at the funding and review process to encourage interdisciplinary and team science projects. In addition, a greater expectation will be placed on funded researchers to serve as peer reviewers.
4. Excel as a Federal Science Agency by Managing for Results
In an effort to better measure the impact of its sponsored projects, the NIH will focus on assessment of research outcomes rather than outputs. It will also invest in "the science of science" to lead the work in understanding how to better assess and manage Biomedical research broadly. The NIH will also continue to re-assess its peer review process to find where improvements can and should be made.
This executive summary gives you a glimpse, but the strategic plan is really an exciting and inspiring read. It reminds us of the work, breakthroughs, and innovations that have been developed with NIH support and further shows us the kind of opportunities we have to work toward.
Happy holidays from ORDE!
Resources:
NIH Strategic Plan
Friday, December 18, 2015
Friday, December 11, 2015
Time Management for Faculty
I had the opportunity to join a Faculty Lunch & Learn yesterday out of our Center For Faculty Development. The topic was "If I'd know then what I know now" and faculty shared their ideas and best practices for preparing for tenure that I wanted to share. I thought this was good timing, as we approach the end of the year, and some of you may be looking to incorporate better time management practices in the new year.
Be mindful
One of the key messages yesterday was to be mindful of what works for you. It was interesting listening to the diversity of practices discussed. One person would say that they had to have their research time scheduled on their calendar, and the next person said they felt too confined when they had to work within parameters that they set for themselves. Thus, before you take on any new strategies, it's important to consider your own needs and your own style. How do you work best? When do you work most effectively? What environment do you prefer for your work? etc.
Have a system
An article in The Chronicle of Higher Education last week was authored by a tenured faculty member who was in a rather unique position of having gone through tenure twice (he was tenured at one institution and then took an Assistant Professorship at another institution). He contrasts his disorganization when going for tenure the first time with the system he set up the second time. In the latter, he used Evernote and other technology to really streamline his process. The key point in this article is that whether you are tech-savvy or prefer using your scheduling book, develop and stick to a system of organization that works for you.
Front-loading teaching
One idea shared at yesterday's lunch was that of front-loading your teaching. One tenured faculty member mentioned that when it came time for her to write her book, she worked with her Chair and Dean to teach all of her courses (four) in the Fall and then to have the Spring to focus on her book. Another newly tenured faculty member did something similar but taught most courses in the Fall and only one in the Spring.
Block 40% of your work time for research
One thing we notice in our office is that oftentimes new faculty put their research on the back burner for their first semester teaching as they develop their new courses and get into the teaching groove. The problem comes when faculty are slow to move their research back to the front burner quick enough. One faculty member mentioned that because she knew that 40% of her time was supposed to be dedicated to her research, she would block two days a week on her calendar to focus solely on her research. In this way, she made sure that it didn't fall to the wayside.
Some of these ideas, I hadn't heard before yesterday, but I thought they were creative solutions to time management. Going back to being mindful, some of these strategies may work for some faculty members, but not others. But, as we near the end of the year, it's important to step back and make sure that you're setting yourself up to accomplish your goals.
Resources
How Tech Tools Can Help Professors Prepare Their Tenure Portfolios - The Chronicle of Higher Ed
Be mindful
One of the key messages yesterday was to be mindful of what works for you. It was interesting listening to the diversity of practices discussed. One person would say that they had to have their research time scheduled on their calendar, and the next person said they felt too confined when they had to work within parameters that they set for themselves. Thus, before you take on any new strategies, it's important to consider your own needs and your own style. How do you work best? When do you work most effectively? What environment do you prefer for your work? etc.
Have a system
An article in The Chronicle of Higher Education last week was authored by a tenured faculty member who was in a rather unique position of having gone through tenure twice (he was tenured at one institution and then took an Assistant Professorship at another institution). He contrasts his disorganization when going for tenure the first time with the system he set up the second time. In the latter, he used Evernote and other technology to really streamline his process. The key point in this article is that whether you are tech-savvy or prefer using your scheduling book, develop and stick to a system of organization that works for you.
Front-loading teaching
One idea shared at yesterday's lunch was that of front-loading your teaching. One tenured faculty member mentioned that when it came time for her to write her book, she worked with her Chair and Dean to teach all of her courses (four) in the Fall and then to have the Spring to focus on her book. Another newly tenured faculty member did something similar but taught most courses in the Fall and only one in the Spring.
Block 40% of your work time for research
One thing we notice in our office is that oftentimes new faculty put their research on the back burner for their first semester teaching as they develop their new courses and get into the teaching groove. The problem comes when faculty are slow to move their research back to the front burner quick enough. One faculty member mentioned that because she knew that 40% of her time was supposed to be dedicated to her research, she would block two days a week on her calendar to focus solely on her research. In this way, she made sure that it didn't fall to the wayside.
Some of these ideas, I hadn't heard before yesterday, but I thought they were creative solutions to time management. Going back to being mindful, some of these strategies may work for some faculty members, but not others. But, as we near the end of the year, it's important to step back and make sure that you're setting yourself up to accomplish your goals.
Resources
How Tech Tools Can Help Professors Prepare Their Tenure Portfolios - The Chronicle of Higher Ed
Friday, December 4, 2015
Writing for the Layperson
I read a draft op-ed piece this week by a brilliant academic who used both the words: venerable and somnolent in not only the first sentence, but the first clause. Now, I probably shouldn't admit this, but I headed to the dictionary on somnolent and double-checked what I understood was the definition for venerable while I was there. My point is not that I have a lackluster vocabulary. Rather, I fall pretty firmly into the "intelligent layperson" category for most of the pieces I read as a professional in research development. So, when I can't get through the first sentence of a piece that's intended for the lay audience, there's likely some work to do on the part of the writer.
As we near the end of the year, I wanted to return to one of our more popular blog topics: writing for the layperson, if for no other reason than to help prepare you to move from your very technical and scholarly writing to writing your end-of-year family newsletter.
Make it useful
Back in tech-writing school, technical writing was defined as writing for a purpose, and more specifically, writing to be useful. Meaning to transition to technical writing is to take yourself out of the equation (you're not writing for your own edification anymore) and focusing on writing that will be useful to the reader. The first thing to do is understand what your reader is using your writing for. If you're writing a grant proposal, your audience is at least in part your reviewers. So, who are your reviewers? Are they experts? In your specific field? After figuring out who they are, realize that they likely want to skim your application initially to get an understanding of what it's all about. So, how navigable is your piece? Are you using clear and consistent headings? Are you organizing your writing in a way to make your grant "useful?"
Start with what they know
If you're writing a technical piece for the layperson, begin with both things they are familiar with and things that matter to them to draw them in. Talk about the big picture and possible impact that your research will create. Explain in plain language why your work is important and what difference it will make. When you're addressing the "who cares?" question, make sure you explain why they, the readers, should care as well.
Use examples that will resonate
As you move into the more technical nitty gritty of your document, let your reader come up for air every so often by providing an example or a metaphor with which they will be familiar. Having just completed a statistics course, it's amazing how useful it is to have my instructor show a picture of the curvilinear relationship we're studying or offering an example of interpreting an odds ratio. These teaching practices can really be put to good use in your own technical writing. If you equate the intended use of your grant proposal with the learning outcome for a class, you can then start breaking down your subject matter in such a way that it gets your reader to your intended outcome in the same way you instruct a learner.
Going, back to my original example, I don't mean to be a fancy-word-hater, even if I am a Technical Writer. Think how much smarter I am now that I can start describing things as venerable or somnolent! But, if you're going to wax poetic in your piece, make sure there is a good reason for the reader's sake. Make sure that you're really using the best word(s), and that your reader's potential trip to the dictionary will be worth it. Or, better yet, use the fancy word(s) in such a way that their meaning is obvious, so those readers who are too lazy to look it up can still stay with you.
Resources:
The Mayfield Handbook of Technical and Scientific Writing - MIT
Writing a Layperson Summary - UNC, Charlotte
As we near the end of the year, I wanted to return to one of our more popular blog topics: writing for the layperson, if for no other reason than to help prepare you to move from your very technical and scholarly writing to writing your end-of-year family newsletter.
Make it useful
Back in tech-writing school, technical writing was defined as writing for a purpose, and more specifically, writing to be useful. Meaning to transition to technical writing is to take yourself out of the equation (you're not writing for your own edification anymore) and focusing on writing that will be useful to the reader. The first thing to do is understand what your reader is using your writing for. If you're writing a grant proposal, your audience is at least in part your reviewers. So, who are your reviewers? Are they experts? In your specific field? After figuring out who they are, realize that they likely want to skim your application initially to get an understanding of what it's all about. So, how navigable is your piece? Are you using clear and consistent headings? Are you organizing your writing in a way to make your grant "useful?"
Start with what they know
If you're writing a technical piece for the layperson, begin with both things they are familiar with and things that matter to them to draw them in. Talk about the big picture and possible impact that your research will create. Explain in plain language why your work is important and what difference it will make. When you're addressing the "who cares?" question, make sure you explain why they, the readers, should care as well.
Use examples that will resonate
As you move into the more technical nitty gritty of your document, let your reader come up for air every so often by providing an example or a metaphor with which they will be familiar. Having just completed a statistics course, it's amazing how useful it is to have my instructor show a picture of the curvilinear relationship we're studying or offering an example of interpreting an odds ratio. These teaching practices can really be put to good use in your own technical writing. If you equate the intended use of your grant proposal with the learning outcome for a class, you can then start breaking down your subject matter in such a way that it gets your reader to your intended outcome in the same way you instruct a learner.
Going, back to my original example, I don't mean to be a fancy-word-hater, even if I am a Technical Writer. Think how much smarter I am now that I can start describing things as venerable or somnolent! But, if you're going to wax poetic in your piece, make sure there is a good reason for the reader's sake. Make sure that you're really using the best word(s), and that your reader's potential trip to the dictionary will be worth it. Or, better yet, use the fancy word(s) in such a way that their meaning is obvious, so those readers who are too lazy to look it up can still stay with you.
Resources:
The Mayfield Handbook of Technical and Scientific Writing - MIT
Writing a Layperson Summary - UNC, Charlotte
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