Using a Virtual Community (the Health Equity Learning Collaboratory) to Support Early-Stage Investigators Pursuing Grant Funding

Meldra Hall, Jeffrey Engler, Japera Hemming, Ernest Alema-Mensah, Adriana Baez, Kimberly Lawson, Alexander Quarshie, Jonathan Stiles, Priscilla Pemu, Winston Thompson, Douglas Paulsen, Ann Smith and Elizabeth Ofili
Additional contact information
Meldra Hall: Clinical Research Center, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA
Jeffrey Engler: Council of Graduate Schools, Washington, DC 20036, USA
Japera Hemming: Clinical Research Center, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA
Ernest Alema-Mensah: Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA
Adriana Baez: University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR 00936-5067, USA
Kimberly Lawson: Clinical Research Center, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA
Alexander Quarshie: Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA
Jonathan Stiles: Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA
Priscilla Pemu: Department of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA
Winston Thompson: Department of Physiology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA
Douglas Paulsen: Department of Pathology & Anatomy, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA
Ann Smith: University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
Elizabeth Ofili: Department of Physiology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-12

Abstract: Junior investigators often have limited access to networks of scientific experts and resources that facilitate competitive grant submissions. Since environments in which scientists are trained are critically important for long-term success, we built and tested a virtual environment for early-stage investigators (ESIs) working on grant proposals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the virtual community’s influence on grant submission patterns among participants from underrepresented groups. As part of a grant writing coaching model, junior investigators were recruited into a professional development program designed to develop competitive grantsmanship skills. Designed by the Research Resources and Outreach Core (RROC) of the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN), the Health Equity Learning Collaboratory (EQ-Collaboratory) provided a virtual community for social support, accountability, constructive feedback, and access to peer networks to help investigators overcome barriers to grant submission. This study assessed differences in outcomes for participants who completed the training within the EQ-Collaboratory compared to those who did not. The analyzed data revealed a statistically significant difference in the average time to submission for participants enrolled in the EQ-Collaboratory. EQ-Collaboratory ESIs submitted proposals 148.6 days earlier, ( p < 0.0001). The results suggest that a supportive virtual environment can help investigators more quickly overcome barriers to grant submission.

Keywords: grant writing; underrepresented groups; collaboratory; submission habits (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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