Institute of Health and Social Policy BSPH Student and Trainee Policy Impact Awards

The Institute for Health and Social Policy is pleased to announce a request for applications for our new Student and Trainee Policy Impact Awards. The awards provide up to $10,000 in support of innovative, timely and applied student-led public health policy projects. Priority will be given to projects at the nexus of health and social policy that:

1. perform research in support of policy development, adoption, implementation, or evaluation;
2. translate research results into policy; or
3. transform policy into legislation.

Eligibility is restricted to full-time students in good academic standing who are currently enrolled in a degree program at BSPH or who are postdoctoral fellows at BSPH. The proposal must describe a well-formulated project and have a letter of support from a Hopkins faculty mentor.

We require that students and trainees work on an issue related to health and/or social policy. Social policy is defined broadly and may include, for example, policies related to employment, transportation, housing, and other key issues. Proposals should identify a key decision-maker or policymaker who would use the knowledge gained from the proposed work (i.e., a “principal knowledge user”), and articulate how the project could result in, or advance, policy or systems changes. A plan for the decision maker or policymaker's active participation in the project is highly encouraged but not required. Decision-making partners are not limited to government agencies or officials and can include community-based and non-profit organizations active in a relevant field of health and social policy.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants should:

• Be a full-time student in good academic standing who are currently enrolled in a degree program at BSPH or who are postdoctoral fellows at BSPH. A joint proposal from two students or trainees is permissible. The proposal should speak to the added benefit of having more than 1 student/trainee co-lead the research.
•  Have support from a Hopkins faculty mentor, as reflected by a letter from that mentor. The Hopkins faculty can be from any School at Hopkins and does not need to have a primary or secondary appointment at BSPH

Use of Award Funds

• Funding periods are limited to 1 year. Extensions may be permitted with prior approval from the Institute for Health and Social Policy.
• Funds are to cover direct project costs (e.g., travel, printing materials, transcription of interviews, research assistants or other staffing needs).
• Funds may be used to support the student principal investigator. These funds should be based on expected hours per week that the student will work on the award, the anticipated number of weeks, and a standard hourly student rate. The student principal investigator funds should not exceed 25% of the requested award amount.
• If two or more student principal investigators, funds used to support the student principal investigators may be increased up to 50% of the requested award amount. Clear justification for this higher amount of funding must be provided.
• Funds cannot be used for tuition support.
• Funds cannot be used for mentor’s time or effort.
• Funds cannot be used for lobbying activities or retrospective payments (e.g., travel or other costs that have already been incurred).

Application Components

Cover Page (1 page)

• Title of the proposal
• Contact information for the applicant(s)
• Proposal summary of no more than one paragraph

Proposal

• Length: five pages maximum
• Spacing: double-spaced, 12-point type
• All proposals must include the following sub-sections, separated by easily recognizable section headers:

o Introduction. Briefly describe the problem and health/social policy that will be addressed

o Specific aims. List the specific aims/goals of the proposed project.

o Policy significance of the proposed project. This section must include a discussion of how the project potentially advances health and/or social policy, as described in the award objectives.

o Principal knowledge users. The section should include who will use the knowledge gained from the proposed work. This can be a specific individual, agency, or organization. If possible, proposals should describe how the principal knowledge users will be associated with the project, for example, their involvement in decisions regarding objectives, methods and analysis; dissemination of the findings to key stakeholders; and implementation of results.

o Mentorship. This section must include a plan for how the student/trainee will be mentored during the proposal including frequency of meeting.

o Approach/methods. Succinctly describe how the aims will be accomplished. Be sure that the approach is feasible in the appropriate timeframe. If there are significant limitations of the approach/methods, please describe how these will be addressed.

o Expected outcomes. Describe the likely project outcomes and how they will be disseminated.

o Project timeline. Projects are expected to be no more than 1 year in duration.

o Student/trainee development. Briefly describe how the project fits into the candidate’s career development goals or trajectory.

o CV. Applicant's CV as an attachment (not counted towards the 5-page limit)

o IRB. A section on IRB is not required for the proposal; however, IRB approval may be required for the project.

Budget Description and Justification

• Please provide a clear description of the intended use of funds and how the expenditures will contribute to the project.

Letter(s) of Support

• A letter of support from a Hopkins faculty mentor is required. The letter should clearly state the frequency with which the mentor will meet with the student/trainee and their commitment to the candidate.
• A letter of support from external collaborator(s) (including key decision-maker) confirming their support for the project and explaining the role they intend to play (e.g., research partner, legislative champion, advocate, etc.) is encouraged but not required.

Application Review Process

All applications will be reviewed by an interdisciplinary review committee. There are three cycles each fiscal year applications can be submitted. Due dates and project start dates are as following:

• 1^st cycle application due date: November 30^th, Project start date: January 1^st
• 2^nd cycle application due date: March 30^th, Project start date: May 1^st
• 3^rd cycle application due date: July 30^th, Project start date: September 1^st

The applications will be judged on the following criteria:

• Policy significance and potential public health policy impact
• Scientific interest, as demonstrated in the project objectives, design, approach and originality
• Appropriateness and value to key knowledge user, including any collaborative arrangements with decision maker(s)
• Adequacy of mentorship
• Extent to which the project will further student/trainee career goals
• Adequacy and appropriateness of intended use of funds

Up to 2 proposals will be awarded funding

Grant Recipient Requirements

All award recipients are expected to commit to the following:

1. At the time of receiving the award:

• Sign and adhere to the Grant Recipient Agreement Form
• Provide a biographical statement and photo for posting on the Institute for Health and Social Policy website.

2. At six months after the project begins:

• Submit to the Institute for Health and Social Policy (nmosele2@jhu.edu) a brief one-page Progress Report summarizing your project's progress and remaining activities. (Deadline: six months after project begins)

3. At project completion:

• Submit to the Institute for Health and Social Policy (nmosele2@jhu.edu) a brief final report (up to five pages) that outlines the project accomplishments, including impacts on public health policy. (Deadline: one month after project completion)
• Provide a summary of use of grant funds at project completion. (Deadline: one month after project completion)
• Notify the Institute for Health and Social Policy of any specific outcomes from the project (e.g., passage of legislation, publications, collaborations, further research, awards, etc.). (Deadline: ongoing, including after the submission of the final report)

For more information, contact Nicole Moseley, Johns Hopkins Institute for Health and Social Policy, at nmosele2@jhu.edu.