Training and Career Development Analyses: NICHD Diversity Supplements and F31 Pre-doctoral Fellowships

Jennifer Guimond, PhD and Sarah Glavin, PhDScience Policy, Planning and Evaluation BranchOffice of Science Policy, Analysis, and CommunicationsEunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentOctober 2012

Evaluation QuestionsWhat are the characteristics of scholars in

NICHD programs targeted to diversity populations?

How many scholars remained active in the community of NIH-supported scientific researchers?

How do subsequent grant results vary by the measure used?

Are there differences between men and women who receive diversity supplements?

How do F31 recipients compare with a matched cohort of predoctoral T32 recipients?

MethodsN=462 Diversity Supplement Scholars (66%

women, 32% men)N=146 F31 recipients (60% women, 37% men,

3% unknown) o 73 F31scholars with awards in 2004 or earlier

o 73 T32 predoctoral scholars matched on sex & date of training

Measures & Definitions◦ Competitive NIH applications & funded grants

submitted 12+ mos after diversity supplement start ◦ PERSON SUCCESS RATES: number of people who

received grants divided by the number of people who applied

◦ APPLICATION FUNDING RATES: number of funded grants divided by the number of applications

NICHD DIVERSITY SUPPLEMENT PROGRAM

NICHD Diversity Supplement ProgramScholars join an established principal

investigator on an NICHD funded research grant.

Principal investigators apply for the supplement.

Eligible scholars are:◦ from specified racial and ethnic groups, ◦ from socioeconomically disadvantaged

backgrounds, ◦ have a disability, &/or ◦ have taken a hiatus from their research careers to

attend to family responsibilities.

Trainee level: high school to early stage investigator

Characteristics of Diversity Scholars

Diversity Type:

• 72% ethnic/racial minority

• 4% individuals w/ disabilities

• 3% re-entry

• 21% unspecified

Gender • 66% women

• 32% men

Degree • 61% PhD

• 17% MD

• 2% MD+PhD

Appointments by Scholar Level

64%10%

17%

2%

8%

Predoctoral (n=235)

Graduate StudentPost-Bac/Post-Mas-tersUndergraduate student

64%

25%

11%

Postdoctoral (n=217)

Postdoctoral traineeEarly Career Inves-tigator

DSP Person-Based Application Rates (all scholars)

All Grants Research Grants R01s0

10

20

30

40 35.42

25.00

13.19

29.33

14.84

5.30

Men (n=144) Women (n=283)

Fisher’s exact test, p=.012

Fisher’s exact test, p=.007

Perc

en

t of

All S

ch

ola

rs T

racked

DSP Person-Based Success Rates (all scholars)

All Grants Research Grants R01s0

10

20

30

40

50 45.10

33.33

21.05

40.96

23.81

6.67

Men Women

Perc

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Sch

ola

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ho A

pp

lied

No significant differences between men & women

DSP Application-Based Success Rates (all applications submitted by all scholars)

All Grants Research Grants R01s0

10

20

30

20.60

12.33 13.33

23.72

10.78 9.52

Men Women

Perc

en

t of

Ap

plicati

on

s F

un

ded

No significant differences between men & women

DSP Person Success Rates:Postdoc and Investigator Levels Only

47% of postdoctoral/investigator diversity supplement recipients submitted at least one competitive NIH grant application one or more years after beginning the supplement appointment.

42% of those who applied for a grant were funded. This amounts to 20% of all scholars.

31% of postdoctoral/investigator level diversity supplement recipients applied for a research grant.

27% of those who applied for a research grant were funded. This amounts to 8% of all scholars.

A greater percentage of men applied for research and R01 grants compared to women, but women who apply for grants were funded at similar rates.

NICHD F31 PREDOCTORAL FELLOWS PROGRAM

NICHD F31 Pre-doctoral Awards

Predoctoral students are sponsored by a faculty member at their training institution.

Students apply and are considered the principal investigator.

Eligible scholars are:◦ from specified racial and ethnic groups,

◦ from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, &/or

◦ have a disability.

Trainee level: at the dissertation research stage of their training

F31 Person-Based Application Rates

All Grants Research Grants R01s0

10

20

30

40

39.50

23.30

11.00

36.80

13.70

5.50

F31 (n=73) T32 (n=73)

Perc

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t of

All S

ch

ola

rs T

racked

No significant differences between F31s & T32s

F31 Person-Based Success Rates

All Grants Research Grants R01s0

10

20

30

40

50

60

7066.70

52.90

25.00

64.30

10.00

25.00

F31 T32

Perc

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Sch

ola

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ho A

pp

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Fisher’s exact test, p=.042

F31 Application-Based Success Rates

All Grants Research Grants R01s0

10

20

30

4033.30

15.20

9.10

30.00

2.904.20

F31 T32

Perc

en

t of

Ap

plicati

on

s F

un

ded

Fisher’s exact test, p=.092

F31 Summary: Subsequent GrantsNearly 40 percent of F31 pre-doctoral

recipients submitted at least one subsequent competitive NIH grant application.

Over one quarter of F31 pre-doctoral recipients received at least one subsequent competitive NIH grant.

F31 recipients had similar application rates, and higher success rates compared to a matched cohort of T32 recipients.

Note: Comparisons based on sex were not made due to small numbers.

Implications for WorkforceDiversity supplements and F31 grants provide a

mechanism to increase diversity in the research workforce.

Between 1/3 and 1/2 of recipients continue to pursue NIH research funding.

F31 predoctoral scholars and a matched cohort of T32 predoctoral scholars appear equally equipped to compete for subsequent NIH grants.

Further study is needed to identify ways to keep more trainees in the research workforce. ◦ Does program duration matter?

◦ How do results vary across institutions?

◦ How do program components affect results?