Women in Transplantation Grant for Low or Middle Income Countries for Research in Gender and Sex in Transplantation

Overview

The Women in Transplantation (WIT) initiative of The Transplantation Society (TTS), with the support of Industry Partners, we will offer one grant open to faculty working in low or middle income countries. In the hope this will spur exciting international collaborations and build more research capacity in lower resource settings, this special grant will allow transplant professionals working in these areas to work with an experienced mentor from among the WIT membership to address an important question within their own unique context.

The Women in Transplantation Initiative of TTS will provide funding to an individual investigator to support research in sex and gender issues in solid organ transplantation and immunology. The spectrum of studies includes basic, clinical and translational. This individual must work in a low or middle income country as defined by the OECD. The applicant must identify a research mentor from within the WIT membership who has a track record of expertise in transplantation or immunology research.

General Information
  1. The grant provides research support for two years at $15,000 US per year. Research must commence on July 1, 2023 and conclude on June 30, 2025.
  2. The research start date cannot be deferred for any reason.
  3. The recipient will sign a letter of agreement with Women in Transplantation. Payments will be issued to the recipient’s institution by Women in Transplantation, and the recipient will report to the Women in Transplantation Pillar 2.
Research Focus
The 2023 Women in Transplantation Low or Middle Income Country Research Grant will fund research that contributes to our understanding of the impact of sex and/or gender transplantation. Such work includes, but is not limited to: studies of the impact of sex on transplant outcomes, sex differences in the immune response in organ transplantation, the influence of sex hormones on inflammatory responses, sex differences in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of immunosuppressive medications, disparities in access to transplantation based on gender or sex, the complex challenge of HLA sensitization in women following pregnancy, and the influence of gender on organ donation. Epidemiologic, clinical, translational, and basic, studies are all necessary and will be considered.
Eligibility
    1. The Applicant
      1. The applicant (MD, PhD, PharmD, or equivalent degree) must work in the field of transplantation.
      2. The minimum protected research time is 50%
      3. The applicant must be a member of Women in Transplantation (WIT)
    2. Applicant’s Sponsor and Institutional Support
      1. The applicant must have a sponsor/mentor who is a WIT member with research expertise in transplantation or immunology relevant to the proposed project. Please reach out to Katie Tait at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to be put in touch with a mentor.
      2. The applicant’s Department Chair or equivalent supervisor must provide a letter of support indicating that the applicant has the required protected time, space, and resources to carry out the proposed project.
      3. Only one Women in Transplantation LMIC award will be awarded per year If more than one grant from a given faculty member is submitted and deemed competitive, Women in Transplantation will make the final determination of which grant to fund.
      4. Women in Transplantation membership: The applicant’s sponsor must be an active member of both Women in Transplantation and TTS or have submitted a completed membership application deadline.
    3. Previous Funding/Funding from Other Sources
      1. The applicant may be a past or current recipient of other foundation fellowship research grants.
      2. The applicant may currently hold career development awards, or mentored scientist award.
      3. If the applicant is currently receiving funding for a project similar to the topics described in this RFA, the applicant should explain how the funds of the Women in Transplantation grant would not overlap with the funds of the other research support.
    4. Miscellaneous
      1. Citizenship: There is no restriction on citizenship.
      2. Laboratory: there is no restriction on laboratory location/country
Specific Application Requirements

Applications that do not conform to these guidelines will be returned without review.

    1. Completed Proposals are due by April 1, 2023
    2. Completion of WIT RFA Cover page and Biosketch, to include name, title, and institution of principle investigator, co-investigator, and/or key co- collaborator(s), institution and contact information.
    3. Abstract of the proposed research plan: This document should concisely summarize the project in 400 words or less. The abstract should introduce the project and note its relevance to transplantation. It should describe the long-term objectives and specific aims, research design, and methods for achieving these goals.
    4. Applicant’s NIH biosketch (five-page format) to include all usual and pertinent information, particularly describing other past and current research funding and prior published work.
    5. Complete proposed research plan: this section is limited to 5 pages maximum (not including references), and should be completed in font size 12, Times New Roman, single spacing, 2cm margins. The following sections must be included:
      1. Aims: include the key questions posed or hypotheses to be tested
      2. Introduction: provide the rationale for the research
      3. Preliminary Results (if any): show preliminary results supporting the research plan
      4. Impact of the research
      5. Significance of the research
    6. Mentor Letter: the mentor must provide a letter (on letterhead) outlining their commitment to support the applicant, and their role in the project (maximum 2 pages)
    7. Budget: The grant is intended to provide salary support for the researcher and supplies/materials. No other costs are permitted, including institutional overhead or travel.
    8. Completed application packages should be sent in PDF format to Katie Tait at TTS (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Review Process and Notification
    1. Completed application packages should be sent in PDF format to Katie Tait at TTS This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Completed Proposals are due by April 1, 2023.
    2. Funding decisions will be made by an expert review committee from the Women in Transplantation peer members. Grants will be scored based on novelty, research approach, feasibility of obtaining relevant data, prior work, and the qualifications of the mentor, including prior productivity and mentoring experience.
    3. For the selected individuals, the term of the grant will begin July 1, 2023 (three months post submission).

The Transplantation Society

International Headquarters

740 Notre-Dame St. West, Suite 1245
Montréal, QC, QC, H3C 3X6 Canada

Phone: 514-874-1717
Fax: 514-874-1716
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