College of Science Internal

National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding is considered a prerequisite for establishing independence, academic promotion,  recognition as an expert, serving on grant review panels, and leadership roles. Minority applicants are less likely to receive grants, to have the R phases of K01 or K99 awards activated, need more submissions to obtain funding, and often will not resubmit proposals. As minority applicants must overcome systemic and structural barriers due to race, ethnicity, country of origin, socioeconomic status, and/or language, many leave academia which further exacerbates the lack of diversity in STEM and medical fields. To provide protected time and mentoring to these trainees, we are launching the LCRF Minority Career Development Award (CDA) for Lung Cancer for minority postdoctoral/clinical fellows and assistant professors within 10 years of completing their MD and/or PhD degrees to submit proposals.

We encourage applications on a wide variety of topics including but not limited to the following:

• Lung cancer biology
• Prevention and screening for early detection
• Identification of new biomarkers
• Development of more effective and less toxic therapies including but not limited to targeted and immune-therapies
• Genetic and gene-environment interactions
• Interactions and contributions of multiple factors (e.g. smoking, genetics, environment, societal factors) to disparities in lung cancer outcomes
• Mechanisms of sensitivity and resistance to lung cancer therapies
• Bioengineering approaches to understanding and/or treating lung cancer (i.e., theranostics, biomaterials, nanotechnology, controlled-drug release, and gene-therapy)
• Supportive measures for people with lung cancer and their families

These awards provide a maximum of $150,000 in funding over a period of two years to early- and mid-career investigators.