The 2012 American Urological Association (AUA) New Investigators Workshop will be held from November 1-4, 2012. The meeting is intended to provide intense and personalized instruction for a small group of no more than 20 M.D. and Ph.D. new investigators conducting research in benign urologic conditions on how to prepare innovative and competitive NIH research grant applications. The program is specifically designed to allow 1-on-1 and small group instruction that will be provided by senior scientists and other advisors that will be customized to best fit the needs of the individual applicant, and the range of proposed research applications that will be presented at the meeting. This meeting will provide a catalyst to increase the quality of research grant proposals submitted to the National Institute of Diabetes &Digestive &Kidney Diseases and serve as a pilot workshop for a long-range strategic vision of the AUA to provide a series of workshops that will be devoted to grant writing, career development and developing an integrated community of urologic investigators to support interdisciplinary research. The primary investigator, Leo Giambarresi, Ph.D., is the Director of Research for the AUA. The Steering Committee consists of Samuel Chacko, D.V.M./Ph.D.;Toby Chai, M.D.;Firouz Daneshgari, M.D.;Dolores Lamb, Ph.D.;Jill Macoska, Ph.D.;Larissa Rodriguez, M.D. and Johannes Vieweg, M.D. This group is a body of senior leaders in urology research and all possess exemplary records in extramural research funding and training of residents and pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellows. The New Investigators Workshop will take place over a three day period, not including the welcome dinner and reception on Thursday evening. A key session of the meeting will take place on day one when the faculty advisors will meet individually with each of the 10-20 invitees and conduct a critical evaluation of their grant proposals. The team of advisors that will meet with each invitee will be customized based on the scientific area, specific aims and methodologies of the proposed research. In addition to a senior scientific advisor, a pathologist, epidemiologist, biostatistician or other individuals from specialized areas as needed may assist in the evaluation to provide critiques and instruction that will guide the invitees as they work to improve the proposal over the duration of the workshop. The invitees will be encouraged to work on their proposals on Friday evening and Saturday's program will primarily consist of working sessions where the invitees can work independently or meet with faculty advisors as needed. There will be lectures on key facets of grant writing, """"""""Identifying &Composing the Pieces of the Research Grant Proposal"""""""", """"""""Defining Peer Review Criteria"""""""", """"""""Packaging the Proposal"""""""", """"""""Grantsmanship"""""""", Biostatistics"""""""", and """"""""Budgets."""""""" Friday's session will also include a mock study section in which senior advisors with substantial experience on NIH study sections will conduct actual critiques on research proposals. The panel will also provide sections from actual proposals that were highly ranked in peer review exemplifying the """"""""Do's"""""""" as well as sections from poorly ranked proposals that illustrate the """"""""Don'ts"""""""" associated with grant writing.
In 2012, the American Urological Association (AUA) will offer a pilot New Investigators Workshop intended to provide attendees with an intense grant writing curriculum and in-depth evaluation of their proposed research grant and instruction from senior scientific advisors in 1-on-1 and small group settings. The meeting is intended to provide guidance that will enhance the quality of grant applications in benign urologic diseases. The experience, outcomes and data gained from this meeting will be used as a catalyst and starting point for the creation of a long-term grant writing and improvement program for researchers and surgeon-scientists engaged in urology research.
