Sleep & Health Research Program

Grant Writing Workshop

Saturday, May 6, 2023

The University of Arizona Sleep and Health Research Program will host a Grant Writing Workshop on Saturday, May 6, 2023.

Learning Objectives

This workshop will provide information necessary for developing competitive grant applications.

The following learning needs will be addressed:

Better understanding of how to conceptualize medical and related knowledge so that it can be advanced in grant applications
Better understanding of how the grant process can advance medical and related scientific knowledge
Synthesize research in the form of grant appliciations
Prepare grant applications that advance medical knowledge
Learn how to prepare research grants in order to improve practice
Learn how to evaluate grant proposals in order to develop more successful applications
Better plan, organize, and draft grant proposals to funding agencies
Better understand the process by which grant applications are evaluated

Following this activity attendees will be able to:

Synthesize research in the form of grant applications
Prepare grant applications that advance medical knowledge
Plan, organize, and draft grant proposals to funding agencies

Presenter

All sessions will be presented by Dr. Michael Grandner. Dr. Grandner is the Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona, Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine in the College of Medicine, Associate Professor of Psychology in the College of Science, Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and Associate Professor of Clinical Translational Science. He is a licensed Psychologist and Certified in Behavioral Sleep Medicine by the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a diplomate in Behavioral Sleep Medicine by the Board of Behavioral Sleep Medicine. He directs the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic. He is a member of the Sarver Heart Center, the Hispanic Center of Excellence, and a faculty member of the Graduate Inter-Disciplinary Programs in Neuroscience and Physiological Sciences.

Dr. Grandner has written many grants, for a large number of funding mechanisms. He has received several grants from NIH, foundations, and industry, and has served as a grant reviewer for NIH, DOD, VA, AHA, SRS, AASM, Wellcome trust, and granting agencies in several countries including the UK, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, and others. He has mentored many junior researchers toward receiving grants of their own from several NIH institutes, the VA, and many other funding sources.

Special Guest:

Twery Dr. Grandner will be joined by a special guest, Dr. Michael Twery. Consultant to non-profits, researchers, and businesses. Dr. Twery draws on 25 years of leadership experience with the NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) representing the state of sleep and circadian health sciences to federal agencies, professional societies, and public audiences. He led the oversight of $2 billion in federally funded scientific research ranging from mechanistic discovery and research training to genomics and multisite clinical trials. As Director of the NHLBI National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (2006-2020), Dr. Twery served as a point of contact for inter-agency coordination of sleep research activities. He chaired the trans-NIH Sleep Research Coordinating Committee.

He initiated the development of over 30 Funding Opportunity Announcements supporting a spectrum of over 200 grants investigating sleep disorders across the lifespan and education grants for medical professionals and the public-at-large. He was executive secretary of the NIH Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board (SDRAB), a Federal advisory committee venue for sleep disorder patients, health care providers, and biomedical researchers discussing the needs and opportunities for sleep research. He led the development of the 2011 NIH Sleep Disorders Research Plan.

Dr. Twery successfully established the first national objectives for Sleep Health in the DHHS Healthy People 2010 initiative ensuring national surveillance of the burdens posed by sleep deficiency in the U.S. He initiated the first survey of sleep schedules (chronotype) in the US (NHANES, 2014-2017) linking the burden of circadian deficiencies to a spectrum of biomedical health risks. In 2015, Dr. Twery was presented the Mark O. Hatfield Public Policy or Advocacy Award by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).

Dr. Twery received his Ph.D. training in Pharmacology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He was a member of the research faculty at the University of Texas Medical Branch and a Senior Staff Fellow in the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Experimental Therapeutics Branch at NIH before joining the NHLBI.

Dr. Twery retired from NIH in December, 2020, and continues to work with government agencies, healthcare organizations, non-profits, and businesses as a consultant for biomedical research and public health.

Agenda

Activities in RED will be for in-person attendees only and are accounted for in the additional cost for in-person attendance.

Start Time	End Time	Activity
8:00 AM	8:30 AM	Breakfast (Provided)
8:30 AM	9:00 AM	Introduction to the Workshop and Overview (Grandner) Introduce the concept of grants and funding science Introduce the concepts of grant review Introduce the concept of organizing the grant into sections and parts
9:00 AM	10:00 AM	The Grant Writing and Reviewing Process (Twery) Review the different types of granting agencies and, within NIH, the different types of grants. Review the CSR and IC infrastructure and funding process. Review the best practices for planning for a grant.
10:00 AM	10:15 AM	BREAK
10:15 AM	11:00 AM	The Art and Science of a Specific Aims Page (Grandner) Describe the Specific Aims page, including its structure, function, and importance. Discuss how aims and hypotheses differ for different types of grants, and how to write them. Discuss best practices for planning grants around a Specific Aims page
11:00 AM	11:45 AM	Selling and Packaging a Grant: Background, Significance, Innovation, and Preliminary Studies (Grandner) Review the function, structure, and best practices for a Background / Significance section Review the function, structure, and best practices for an Innovation section Review the function, structure, and best practices for a Preliminary Studies section
11:45 AM	12:00 PM	BREAK
12:00 PM	1:00 PM	The Main Course: Research Strategy (Grandner) Review the components of a Research Strategy section Review best practices for describing sample characteristics, study procedures, and analytic plans Review best practices for handling problems and potential alternatives
1:00 PM	2:00 PM	Mentorship Teams and Mentorship Plan (Lunch Provided) (Grandner) Review the role of mentors in career development in general, across the professional spectrum Review strategies for developing and curating a mentorship team for career development awards Review best practices for managing a mentorship plan for career development awards
2:00 PM	2:45 PM	Career Development Awards (Grandner) Review best practices for drafting a career development plan Review best practices for organizing career development awards Review best practices for balancing the career plan with the research plan
2:45 PM	3:30 PM	Budgeting and Personnel (Grandner) Review best practices for developing a study team for the project Review best practices for setting up and managing a project budget Review strategies for multisite budgeting
3:30 PM	3:45 PM	BREAK
3:45 PM	4:45 PM	Supporting Sections: Resources, Environment, Equipment, Human Subjects, Dissemination Plan, and More (Grandner) Review the structure and function of environmental sections (including Facilities and Resources, Equipment, and others) Review the structure and function of human subjects’ sections Review the structure and function of other additional sections, including dissemination plan, multiple PI plan, and others
4:45 PM	5:15 PM	Grant Strategy: Career Development Grants (Grandner) Describe strategic decisions to be made around the timing and planning of career development grants Describe best practices regarding planning career development grants in relation to other grant applications Describe best practices for Managing the scope of career development grants
5:15 PM	5:30 PM	BREAK
5:30 PM	6:00 PM	Grant Strategy: Research Projects (Grandner) Describe best practices for managing the scope and timing of research project grants Describe strategies for managing grants within the context of calls for applications Describe best practices for formatting research project grants in order to optimally address the scientific questions at hand
6:00 PM	6:30 PM	Discussions: Grant Strategy (Dinner Served) (Grandner) Answer questions about specific grant strategy concerns Address concerns about different types of grants and how they can be optimally targeted Address questions about managing career development grants
6:30 PM	8:30 PM	Mock Grant Review Session (Twery) Participate in a group discussion reviewing real multiple research project grants Participate in a group discussion reviewing real career development grants Participate in a group discussion to learn about the process of grant reviews and understand the role of the reviewer
8:30 PM	9:00 PM	The Role of the Reviewer (Grandner) Discuss the experience of grant reviewers and their approach to written grants Discuss how grant writing can incorporate the perspective of reviewers in their applications Discuss how connecting with reviewers can optimize grant success

For those who elect to stay the weekend, a fun social event will be planned for the following day!

Continuing Education Credits

The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson designates this live activity for a maximum of 11.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Prices and Fees

Registration fees are intended to defray the costs of putting on this event, including time, facilities, and (for in-person attendees) food. Those who register will receive:

An electronic ticket to the event, for online or in-person attendance
A certificate for all continuing education credits accrued based on attendance
An electronic copy of all slides included in the workshop for future reference
Access to an online library of resources, including manuals, procedures, chapters, guidelines, articles, etc.

In addition, in-person attendees will receive:

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner provided
Live networking sessions
Access to a 3-hour evening case discussion

Regular attendees:

In-Person: $499
Online Only: $349

Academic/Non-profit attendees:

In-Person: $349
Online Only: $199

Students/Trainees:
(No continuing education credits)

In-Person: $199
Online Only: $149

Cancellations and Refunds:

The portion of the ticket cost that goes toward processing fees is not refundable (7% of the ticket price). The remainer of the ticket price is fully refundable until 48 hours before the event. Any cancellations within 48 hours of the event are non-refundable. Hopefully this allows some flexibility during times of uncertainty, while also allowing us to honor reservations and commitments.

Travel

The event will take place on campus at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. More details about the meeting space are forthcoming.

Visiting Tucson: April is an excellent time to visit Tucson! Typical daily temperatures peak at around 80 degrees during the day and get down to about 50 degrees at night. While you're in town check out some of the great things that make Tucson unique!

Airport: Participants may wish to fly into the Tucson International Airport (which is about 20 minutes from campus). Some may instead opt to fly into the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (which is about 2 hours away, many shuttle services exist).

Hotel: The Marriott Aloft Tucson University, located adjascent to campus at the University of Arizona, is walking distance from the event. Special room rates have been negotiated . Call the hotel at 520-908-6800 to reserve a room.