# Presentation: 746420

## NIH Extramural Loan Repayment Programs

- Robert D. Hammond, Ph.D.
- Chair, NIH Extramural LRP Oversight Panel
- Director, DEA, NIDDK
- May 16, 2005

## Purpose

- The Loan Repayment Programs are vital components of our nation’s efforts to attract health professionals to careers in the research areas specified by the individual programs.

## NIH Loan Repayment Programs

- _[Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program](http://www.lrp.nih.gov/about/lrp-clinical.htm)__ _
- _[Pediatric Research Loan Repayment Program](http://www.lrp.nih.gov/about/lrp-pediatric.htm)_
- _[Clinical Research LRP for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds](http://www.lrp.nih.gov/about/lrp-disadv.htm)__ _
- _[Contraception and Infertility Research Loan Repayment Program](http://www.lrp.nih.gov/about/lrp-contra.htm)__  _
- _[Health Disparities Loan Repayment Program](http://www.lrp.nih.gov/about/lrp-healthdisp.htm)__  _

## Slide 4

## Features

- In exchange for a two-year commitment to a research career responsive to an announced LRP, NIH will:
-  Repay up to $35,000 per year of the qualified educational debt,
- Pay an additional 39% of the repayment to cover Federal taxes, and
- May reimburse state taxes that result from these payments.

## Features – cont’d

- Repayment level is dependent on the total educational loan debt and applies to each year of obligated service.

## Eligibility

- United States citizens or permanent residents
- M.D., Ph.D., Pharm.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.M.D., D.P.M., D.C., N.D., or equivalent degree

## Eligibility – cont’d

- Qualifying educational debt equal to or in excess of 20 percent of their annual income or compensation, as applicable, at their expected date of program eligibility.

## Eligibility – cont’d

- Must engage in qualified research responsive to the specific LRP for at least two years at 50% effort or above.
- Research must be supported by a domestic nonprofit institution and/or by a U.S. Government (Federal, state, or local) entity.
- Individuals apply for  a single LRP, not to multiple LRPs.

## Clinical Research LRP:Fiscal Year 2004

- Nearly 1,200 new and more than 200 renewal applications were submitted to the Clinical Research LRP.
- Slightly more than 50% of the new applications and nearly 90% of the renewal applications were funded.
- More than 50% of awards went to applicants with M.D. or M.D./Ph.D. degrees.
- Majority of awardees were within 5 years of receipt of their doctoral degree.

## Total Applications:  2,411

| Clinical Research |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Applications | Awards | Success Rate |
| 1371 | 834 | 61% |
| Pediatric Research |  |  |
| Applications | Awards | Success Rate |
| 589 | 313 | 53% |
| Health Disparities Research |  |  |
| Applications | Awards | Success Rate |
| 344 | 200 | 58% |
| Clinical Research  for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds |  |  |
| Applications | Awards | Success Rate |
| 65 | 43 | 66% |
| Contraception and Infertility Research |  |  |
| Applications | Awards | Success Rate |
| 42 | 17 | 40% |

**Total Applications:**  2,411
**Total Awards:**  1,407
**Overall Success Rate:**  58%

_**Distribution of Awards by LRP**_** **

## NIH Loan Repayment ProgramsFY 2005 Timeline

_**2004**_
- September 1		          FY 05 application cycle opens
- September 1-December 31     Applications to CSR for referral to 	ICs
- December 15		          Application receipt deadline
_**2005**_
- February 1-May 31	          ICs review LRP applications
- June 1			          IC deadline for providing selections to 				LRP of applications to financially vet
- June 1-July 22		          LRP collects and vets financial 					information from selected applicants 				and calculates contract costs
- September 1-September 15     Finalize all FY 05 obligations

## Application Receipt and Referral

- Staff in the NIH Loan Repayment Program screen the applications for completeness and eligibility.
- Applications are sent to CSR, where they are referred to the NIH Institute or Center (IC) to which the application will be assigned for review.

## Review

- Peer review – Internet Assisted Review, standardized across all LRPs and ICs
- Focus is on applicant’s potential to pursue a career in research
- Review criteria are posted on the web for applicants and reviewers

## Review Criteria – Clinical Research LRP

- Appropriateness of the applicant's previous training and experience as preparation for a career in clinical research.
- Suitability of the applicant's proposed clinical research activities in the two-year period to foster a career in clinical research.
- Assessment of the applicant's commitment to a clinical research career as reflected by the personal statement of long-term career goals and the plan outlined to achieve those goals.

## Review Criteria – cont’d

- Strength of recommendations attesting to the applicant's potential for a clinical research career.
- Availability of appropriate scientific colleagues to achieve and/or enhance the applicant's research independence.
- Quality and appropriateness of institutional resources and facilities.

## IC Funding Considerations

- Funding considerations: priority score, critiques, program balance, stage of career.
- Applications can be transferred across IC lines before funding.
- ICs make awards to meet a pre-announced set-aside budget.  The NIH intends to commit approximately $59 million in Fiscal Year 2005 to the Clinical and Pediatric Research LRPs.

## Awards

- Awards are made by the end of the fiscal year, after NIH Loan Repayment Program Office conducts final vetting for eligibility.

## Review Challenges

- Expertise range: large numbers of applications with a reasonable sized review panel
- Clear instructions to reviewers: these are not research project grant applications
- Feedback to unsuccessful applicants