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Grants & You: Fall 2022: News & Updates

Osteopathic Research Gains Support via Senate Appropriations

Osteopathic medicine plays a vital role in the nation’s healthcare system and is the fastest growing medical field, according to the U.S. Bureau of Health Professions. But COMs receive only 0.1 percent of National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants and DO representation is nearly nonexistent on NIH study councils and study sections. This unacceptable discrepancy in Federal research funding discourages osteopathic researchers from applying for NIH research dollars and disadvantages osteopathic medical students pursuing residencies. Building on AACOM's success from the FY 2022 appropriations bill, new language reinforcing the importance of expanding osteopathic research and representation at NIH has been added by the Senate Appropriations Committee to their FY 2023 Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHSE) Explanatory Statement:

"Osteopathic Medical Schools—Osteopathic medicine is one of the fastest growing healthcare professions in the country and osteopathic medical schools educated 25 percent of all medical students. The Committee understands that osteopathic medical students receive 200 hours of additional training in the musculoskeletal system and learn the value of osteopathic manipulative treatment as a non-pharmacological alternative to pain management. Over half of osteopathic physicians practice in the primary care specialties of family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics, and a disproportionate share of osteopathic medical graduates are located in rural and underserved areas. The Committee believes that increased access to research funding for the osteopathic researchers will significantly bolster NIH’s capacity to support robust recovery from the COVID–19 pandemic, address health disparities in rural and medically-underserved populations, and advance research in primary care, prevention, and treatment. The Committee requests an update on the current status of NIH funding to colleges of osteopathic medicine and representation of doctors of osteopathic medicine on NIH National Advisory Councils and standing study sections in the fiscal year 2024."

 

  Please Be Mindful When

  Spending Grant Funds…

Hello ATSU Grants Community! Sponsored Programs, in conjunction with the Finance Office, will be delivering a series of grants management coaching memos, directives, and updates to support project directors, principal investigators, project teams, ATSU operations teams, faculty, and staff in fiscal management of grant mechanisms awarded to ATSU. Initial coaching will focus on factors affecting the allowability of costs charged to grants.

Topic:  Period of Availability

Detailed Information:  The period of availability for the use of grant funds is limited to the budget period noted in the Notice of Award (or contract or subaward agreement). Further, only costs that result from expenses, obligations, and work completed in support of the project's goals and objectives (explicit purpose) during the budget period (explicit time period) may be charged to the grant. For most expenses, this is easily monitored. However, subscription, membership, timed access, and other contracted services could have costs or portions of costs that occur outside of a budget period. These items should be carefully monitored and only those charges that correspond to the approved budget period can be charged to the award.

Summary Conclusion:  Costs incurred to a grant account must be for goods, services, and activities that are required for and occur during the budget period.

ATSU Departments Who Can Help:  Please check in with Sponsored Programs or the Finance Office if, during the implementation of your project, you require a subscription, membership, timed access, or other contracted service that will continue past the end of your budget period.

NAOME Fellowship Applications Close January 6

The National Academy of Osteopathic Medical Educators (NAOME) is a community of outstanding educators (termed Fellows) who have met rigorous standards of academic excellence within the last five years. The purpose of the Society of Osteopathic Medical Educators' National Academy of Osteopathic Medical Educators is to:

  • Foster and value the scholarship of teaching and learning. 
  • Provide role modeling and support for educators in osteopathic medical education programs. 
  • Foster networking and collaboration among institutions of osteopathic medical education by providing a forum for the exchange of ideas about educational endeavors including teaching, evaluation, curriculum design and implementation, faculty development, and educational research.

ATSU's 6 NAOME Fellows and their year of selection include: KCOM's Patricia Sexton, DHEd, founding chair, (2009); KCOM's Neal Chamberlain, PhD, (2011); KCOM's Karen Snider, DO (2017); SOMA's Sharon Obadiah, DO (2021); SOMA's Kelli Glaser, DO (2021); and KCOM's Richard LaBaere II, DO, MPH (2022). New Fellows are inducted at AACOM's annual conference in the spring. Interested faculty are encouraged to review the following video, which provides information regarding who should apply and how.

Who Should Apply and How?

Download PPT Presentation

Application is encouraged by mid-career faculty seeking opportunities to "pay it forward" and serve as a leader in osteopathic medical education and who meet the following requirements:

  • 5 or more years of academic experience
  • Demonstrated commitment to osteopathic medical education
  • Evidence of scholarship in 1 of 4 areas:
    • Teaching and Education
    • Educational Research
    • Educational Leadership
    • Development of Durable Educational Materials

 

AOGME Launches Emerging Physician Leadership Video Series

Osteopathic residents and fellows can beef up their skills and get tools needed to advance their careers and influence change through the new Emerging Physician Leadership Video Series. These on-demand talks featuring leaders in medicine will help residents and fellows deepen their understanding of key leadership topics. More...

 

Senate Releases New Behavioral Health Workforce Discussion Draft

The Senate recently released a Behavioral Health Workforce of the Future discussion draft, the latest in a series of action plans to address and improve mental and behavioral health in America. Of particular attention to the osteopathic medical education community is the distribution of 400 new residency slots for psychiatry and psychiatry subspecialties. A summary of provisions and a full text of the discussion draft are available online.