Pilot and Feasibility Program

Please watch this space for announcements about P&F program application deadlines.

You can direct inquiries to: Alan R. Shuldiner, M.D. , Director, NORC of Maryland or to our administrator, Sara Shaughnessy:  sshaughn@medicine.umaryland.edu.

The P&F program takes place in three phases

1) Letter of Intent that includes information on eligibility, current and pending funding, and a brief synopsis of the research plan;

2) Submission of a 5-page proposal in modified NIH format (Specific Aims, Background and Significance, Preliminary Results, Experimental Approach, Potential Pitfalls, Alternative Approaches and Future Plans; Budget that addresses potential overlap);

3) Review by the Executive Committee and selected outside reviewers with the assistance and final approval of the External Advisory Committee.  

Grants of up to $25,000 for 1 year will be awarded.  Eligibility for a second year of funding will be considered after submission of a progress report and plans for the second year.  The letter of intent will be used to establish the eligibility of the investigator for P&F funding.  P&F projects are strongly encouraged to take advantage of our proposed Core laboratories. Current awardees seeking a 2nd year of funding should also submit a letter of intent.

Priority for funding goes to 1) new investigators collecting preliminary data for a NIH submission; 2) established investigators seeking to apply their expertise to the obesity or related nutrition field, 3) established investigators in the obesity field seeking funding for a new avenue of research (including high risk/high gain category).  

Eligibility for P&F Funding:  New investigator applicants must have a doctoral degree and at least two and preferably three or more years of post-doctoral experience.  New investigators should be planning to embark on independent research career.  The aim of P&F project is to provide convincing data for future NIH K or R proposals to the NIH or other national agencies.  Investigators are encouraged to undertake high risk/high gain projects that have potential to develop but for which no preliminary data of feasibility are currently available.  Nevertheless, the capability of the PI (and his or her collaborators) to undertake such a project should be clearly outlined.  It is acceptable to submit a project that is currently under review elsewhere; however, future funding by another agency for the same project will preclude NORC funding.  Possible overlap should be addressed in the other support section of the application.  All applicants must be willing to actively participate in NORC Center activities, including seminars, workshops, and symposia, and present a seminar describing their work. 

2009-2010 P&F Awardees:

Michael Crow, Ph.D., Associate Professor; Director, Basic & Translational Research, Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care, JHU. "The Role of Nutrition in Acute Lung Injury-Associated Skeletal Muscle Wasting"

Erin Hager, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Growth and Nutrition Division
Department of Pediatrics, UMB. "Determining Actical Thresholds for Ankle Accelerometry among Adolescent Girls"

Anjeli Inscore, PsyD., Research Associate, Division of Gerontology,UMB. "Yoga to Improve Psychological and Neuroendocrine Function and Promote Weight Loss in Obesity"

Laundette Jones, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, UMB. "Is BRCA1 a novel regulator of adipocity and energy balance?"

Antonio Passaniti, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pathology, UMB. "RUNX2 as a new molecular biomarker involved in the regulation of normal angiogenesis, possibly altered with the acquisition of diabetic vascular complications"

Kellie Tamashiro, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, JHU.  "Epigenetic mechanisms for altered energy homeostasis in offspring produced by assisted reproductive techniques"

Hong Wang, Ph.D., Post Doctoral Fellow,Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, UMB. "Role of LSDP5, a lipid droplet surface associated protein in regulating cardiac myocytes β-oxidation"

Yan Wang, M.D., Dr.P.H., Epidemiologist/Data Analyst, Division of Growth and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, UMB. "Is the relationship between depressive symptoms and obesity explained by physical activity and diet? A prospective study among African American adolescents"

 

2008-2009 P&F Awardees:

Susan Aja, Ph.D., Asst. Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, JHU. "Regulation of Systemic Energy Balance by AMP-activated Protein Kinase in Select Hypothalamic Nuclei"

Christy Chang, Ph.D., Asst. Professor, Medicine & Epidemiology, UMB. "The relationship between STK39 genotypes, salt sensitivity, HCTZ-induced BP response"

Coleen Damcott, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Nutrition, UMB.  "Effects of Genetic Variation in Genes Involved in the
Lipolytic Pathway on Triglyceride Metabolism and Type 2 Diabetes Risk" (2nd year funding)

Geoffrey Girnun, Ph.D., Asst. Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, UMB. "Selective activation of PPARg by a structurally distinct new class of ligand"

Kellie Tamashiro, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, JHU.  "Epigenetic mechanisms for altered energy homeostasis in offspring produced by assisted reproductive techniques"

 

2007-2008 P&F Awardees:

Coleen Damcott, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Nutrition, UMB.  "Effects of Genetic Variation in Genes Involved in the
Lipolytic Pathway on Triglyceride Metabolism and Type 2 Diabetes Risk"

Mao Fu, Ph.D., M.D.; Research Associate, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, UMB. "Positional cloning of obesity candidate genes in the Old Order Amish" (2nd year funding)

Gloria Hoffman, Ph.D.; Professor, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, UMB.  "Interactions of Sleep Deprivation and Stress: the Deadly Combination?" (2nd year funding)

Mi-Jeong Lee, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, UMB.  "The role of the glucocorticoid receptor in adipose tissue development and function"

Toni Pollin, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, UMB.  "Characterizing the role of single gene disorders in 'ordinary' Diabetes Mellitus: translating genetic discoveries to the clinic"

Mark Rizzo, Ph.D., Department of Physiology, UMB.  "Investigation of MODY2 mutations on Glucokinase nitrosylation"

Elizabeth Streeten, M.D.; Assistant Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, UMB.  "Clinical and molecular characterization of suspected partial 25-hydroxyvitamin D-1-alpha hydroxylase deficiency" (2nd year funding)

Rongze Yang, M.D., Ph.D.; Research Associate, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, UMB.  "The Role of TORC2 in Adipocyte Differentiation and Lipid Metabolism" (2nd year funding)

 

2006-2007 P&F Awardees:

Mao Fu, Ph.D., M.D.; Research Associate, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, UMB. "Positional cloning of obesity candidate genes in the Old Order Amish"

Gloria Hoffman, Ph.D.; Professor, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, UMB.  "Development of a New Model of Morbidity induced by Intermittent Sleep Deprivation or Sleep Deprivation and Stress"

Richard Horenstein, M.D.; Assistant Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, UMB.   "The effect of common variants in the transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) gene on GLP-1 levels in response to a glucose and fat challenge"

Vladimir Savransky, M.D., Ph.D.; Research Associate, Division of  Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, JHU School of Medicine.  " Sleep Apnea and Lipid Metabolism in Obesity" (2nd year funding)

Michael Shapiro, Ph.D.; Associate Professor, UMB School of Pharmacy.  "NMR Metabolomics on PKCI Knockout Mice"

Elizabeth Streeten, M.D.; Assistant Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, UMB.  "Clinical and molecular characterization of suspected partial 25-hydroxyvitamin D-1-alpha hydroxylase deficiency"

Rongze Yang, M.D., Ph.D.; Research Associate, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, UMB.  "The Role of TORC2 in Hepatic Gluconeogenesis, Energy Homeostasis and Diabetes"