Grant Peer Review Board
Fellows' Career Development
Grant Peer Review Board
Fellows' Career Development
The Fellow’s Grant Peer Review Board is a cohort of fellows who are focused on improving their grantspersonship skills by participating in confidential peer-to-peer feedback on grants. Fellows can either participate as “writers” and/or “reviewers” in a formalized workshop setting, gaining important editing and grantspersonship skills. While reviewers make up the majority of the cohort, most reviewers use what they learn when they go on to write their own grants or fellowships. To round out their experience, writers are expected to participate as reviewers for at least two cohorts.
To balance the diverse scientific expertise of fellows, each cohort is unique to the needs of the writers and includes workshops and seminars presented by intramural and extramural speakers. Experienced participants can present “how-to’s” on grantspersonship topics to practice teaching skills. The majority of grants written by fellows include the NIGMS PRAT, K99/R00, and K22, but anyone and everyone is welcome, including those planning for R0-style grants.
Sample Agenda for a Cohort
Week Activity
- Cohort welcome, outline of group, assessment of cohort composition
- How to write a stellar Specific Aims page
- "Nuts and Bolts of Submitting an NIH Grant" with Mercedes Arana, Ph.D.
- Peer Workshop: FARE Awards (Spring Cohort)
- Round Table Review: specific aims, confidential review of successful grants
- No meeting, send your specific aims to your Program Officers
- No meeting
- Round Table Review: Aim 1
- No meeting
- Send your Research Plan to your reviewers
- Training Plan overview
- No meeting
- Send Research Plan to NCI fellows review board for grammar edits
- Round Table Review: Training Plan
- Workshop and review of other key documents
- No meeting
- Submit early! Schedule an appointment with Mercedes Arana, Ph.D. to submit your grant
Program Leaders
Jennifer Ish, Ph.D., Co-chair, 2024 - Present, IRTA Postdoctoral Fellow
Jennifer joined NIEHS in 2021 and participated in the Fellows Grant Peer Review Board as a reviewer and a writer before becoming a co-chair. Receiving feedback from peers with multiple perspectives and meeting with speakers was crucial in her grant writing journey, and she now looks forward to supporting other fellows in this area.
Danielle Stevens, Ph.D., Co-Chair, 2022-Present, IRTA Postdoctoral Fellow
When Danielle joined NIEHS in 2021, she was interested in writing a grant and received crucial insight and support from the NIEHS Fellows Grant Peer Review Board. Realizing how valuable this resource was for grantsmanship and career development, Danielle now helps coordinate speakers and provides feedback and support for other fellows.
Mandy Goldberg, Ph.D., Co-Chair, 2023-Present, IRTA Postdoctoral Fellow
Mandy had some experience helping others with grant applications during her graduate work when she joined NIEHS in September 2019, but she quickly realized that writing one herself is a whole different ballpark. Mandy appreciated the structure and support of the Grant Peer Review Board when she was writing, and looks forward to providing feedback, support, and tricks of the trade to other fellows.
