Dear Colleague, By October 2007, all NIH grant applications must be submitted electronically through the federal online portal of Grants.gov. The deadline for R01 applications to make the electronic switch -- February 1, 2007 -- is fast approaching. How can beginning investigators successfully make this transition? The NIH and its agencies have prepared several online resources, the most helpful of which are highlighted in our Web Resources. In addition, the NIH offers the following general tips: Review the transition timeline to determine when a research grant program of interest is switching to electronic submission. Complete the one-time registrations in both Grants.gov and eRA Commons at least 2 to 4 weeks before planning to submit an application. Familiarize yourself with the instructions for the new SF424 (R&R) in the application guide, especially the agency-specific instructions. Avail yourself of the training resources including slide and videotape presentations, brochures, and upcoming training sessions. Sincerely, Stephen J. Bartels, MD, MS; Martha L. Bruce, PhD, MPH; Maureen Halpain, MS; Barry D. Lebowitz, PhD; Charles F. Reynolds III, MD; Gwenn Smith, PhD; Joel E. Streim, MD; Jürgen Unützer, MD, MPH, MA

MedicalUpdates
Mentoring geriatric nurse scientists, educators, clinicians, and leaders in the John A. Hartford Foundation Centers for Geriatric Nursing Excellence
Maas ML, Strumpf NE, Beck C, Jennings D, Messecar D, Swanson E.
Nurs Outlook. 2006 Jul-Aug;54(4):183-8.
Mentoring is a key component of the John A. Hartford Foundation’s initiative on Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity (BAGNC). This article discusses the concept of mentoring broadly to include not only one-to-one mentor-mentee relationships, but also comprehensive approaches to faculty, diverse levels of students, and community partners.

Twelve tips for developing effective mentors.
Ramani S, Gruppen L, Kachur EK.
Med Teach. 2006 Aug;28(5):404-8.
This article is based on workshops that reviewed skills of mentoring and strategies for designing effective mentoring programs, presented at the 11th Ottawa International Conference on Medical Education in Barcelona and the annual AAMC meeting.

Mentoring in academic medicine: a systematic review.
Sambunjak D, Straus SE, Marusic A.
JAMA. 2006 Sep 6;296(9):1103-15.
Mentoring is central to academic medicine, but it is challenged by increased clinical, administrative, research, and other educational demands on medical faculty. Evidence for the value of mentoring was evaluated in a literature search of databases.

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MostViewedPresentations
General
NIH and Your Research Career
Barry D. Lebowitz, PhD
Dr. Lebowitz briefly outlines the structure of the NIH and stresses its importance in planning a research career.

Geriatric
The Summer Research Institute in Geriatric Psychiatry
Maureen Halpain, MS
Ms. Halpain describes how the SRI program is helping increase the number of talented individuals in the pipeline by assisting junior investigators acquire research and academic research survival skills.


MostReadArticles  
General
Mentorship behaviors and mentorship quality associated with formal mentoring programs: closing the gap between research and practice.
Allen TD, Eby LT, Lentz E.
J Appl Psychol. 2006 May;91(3):567-78.
Formal mentoring programs continue to gain popularity within organizations despite limited empirical research regarding how these programs should be designed to achieve maximum effectiveness.

Geriatric
Depression in late-life: shifting the paradigm from treatment to prevention.
Whyte EM, Rovner B.
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006 Aug;21(8):746-51.
While the field of geriatric psychiatry is focused on depression treatment, prevention is an enticing option. This paper will review current thinking on prevention research with a particular focus on its application to late-life depression.


InTheNews
Mentoring Systems: Benefits and Challenges of Diverse Mentoring Partnerships
AAMC Faculty Vitae, Fall 2006
Faculty at all career stages benefit from strategies designed to maintain and increase their productivity and joy in their careers. One of the most important of those strategies is mentoring.

Access to Care Issues, Physician Training, Other Problems Contributing to Mental Health Issues for Elderly
News-Medical.net, September 18, 2006
Poor access to mental health services, inadequately trained primary care physicians and apathy among the senior population are contributing to high rates of mental illness among those older than 65, according to experts who testified before the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

NIH Offers $35,000 in Annual Student Loan Repayment
NIH News, September 11, 2006
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is now accepting applications to its Loan Repayment Programs for health professionals pursuing careers in biomedical and behavioral research. The deadline to apply is December 1, 2006.

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