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In This Issue:
Kathryn Rexrode, MD, MPH, persevered though a 3.5-year review process to receive funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for her research on the relationship between obesity and hormones and risk of stroke in women. Thanks to a grant from a new fund at BWH, Rexrode did not have to put her work on hold while waiting for the NIH, which will begin funding her work this summer.
To help researchers like Rexrode, BWH’s Biomedical Research Institute (BRI) in January teamed up with the Development Office to jumpstart the Fund to Sustain Research Excellence. It provides researchers awaiting NIH support with grants of $50,000 for one year and an opportunity to renew the grant for a second year if they continue to meet the eligibility criteria.
Though the NIH is the major funding source for biomedical research in the country, health care experts are nervous that the past five years of virtually flat funding from the organization – and 2009 seems to be no exception – may threaten future research. BWH’s Fund to Sustain Research Excellence will help with this shortfall in funding.
“The grant has been critical in supporting me and protecting research time while I continue to submit grants to the NIH,” Rexrode said.
Researcher Naomi Fisher, MD, received a grant, too, which she called a “life saver” for her study of the health benefits of a potent type of cocoa high in flavonoids that may reduce cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke. “I had a block of time without any salary support and research to complete,” she said. “Without this grant, I would have had to turn to clinical endeavors that would have meant very little time to collect necessary data requested by the NIH during my grant review process.”
She added, “This program shows the hospital is committed to investigators’ transition into NIH-sponsored research.”
All BWH researchers are part of the BRI and welcome to apply for a Fund to Sustain Research Excellence grant if they meet eligibility criteria. Visit the BWH BRI intranet at http://bwhbri.partners.org/ to view policies and procedures and download application forms. The next deadline is August 1.