Two letters sent in April to Ruth Kirschstein, Acting Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), express concern over reports that the NIH planned to exclude non-NIH-supported researchers and trainees from the eligibility criteria for application to the loan repayment program established by the Clinical Research Enhancement Act (CREA), which was signed into law late last year.
Kevin O'Brien, AFMR President, in his letter dated April 25, and House Representatives James C. Greenwood (R-Pa), Nita Lowey (D-NY), Nancy Johnson (R-Conn), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), in their letter dated April 18, objected to a policy that would make clinical investigators and trainees who are funded by other Federal agencies or private organizations ineligible to apply for the loan repayment awards.
Regarding the exclusion of researchers funded by sources other than the NIH, Representatives Greenwood, Lowey, Johnson, and Brown emphasized that this was not intended by the Congress.
Dr O'Brien's letter took particular issue with a policy that would exclude students/trainees in advanced degree clinical research programs, most of whom do not receive support from the NIH and would be ineligible, therefore, to apply to the loan repayment program. As Dr O'Brien states, “The availability of the loan repayment incentive will strengthen the ability of programs to attract students to participate in the type of didactic training most likely to produce a successful investigator.”
In discussions with senior NIH officials, Dr O'Brien expressed support for efforts to assure that clinical research tuition loan repayment funds are allocated wisely. He emphasized that, rather than strict limits on the potential pool of eligible applicants, the focus should be on establishing an appropriate review process that will discriminate between those most worthy of the awards and those who are less likely to pursue productive careers as clinical investigators.
The NIH is continuing deliberations regarding application criteria for the clinical research loan repayment program and expects to announce the availability of awards some time in July.