The Stanford Center on the Demography and Economics of Health and Aging (CDEHA) - a research effort based at CHP/PCOR - promotes the study of trends in the demography, economics, health and health care of the elderly. The Center is now seeking proposals for pilot projects focusing on research that highlights CDEHA's central themes:

• Effects of medical technology and health care decisions on costs, health outcomes, and well-being of the elderly
• Longitudinal and cohort studies of medical care, costs, and health and economic outcomes of older populations, in the United States and other countries, with particular emphasis on economic and health disparities
• The interrelationships of health characteristics, economic status, functional status, and health care throughout the life cycle; and
• Comparative international studies of demography, health, health care, and health policy affecting the aged, including analysis of health system efficiency in addressing the health care needs of the elderly.

Seed grants are intended to stimulate interest in aging research and enable investigators to turn nascent ideas into fully developed research programs appropriate for long-term, traditional National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding mechanisms.

CDEHA Application Requirements

CDEHA will fund one-year pilot projects ("seed projects") on the demography and economics of health and aging. Innovative studies and/or those examining untested methodologies are particularly encouraged.

Applications should be submitted in the form of a 2-page proposal and should include:

1. Specific Aims
   Describe aims of seed project indicating how they relate to CDEHA's central themes
2. Background & Significance
   
   • Preliminary Studies
   • Importance of research as it relates to demography and economics in health and aging
3. Research Plan
   
   • Methods
   • Statistical Analyses
   • Expected Results
4. Future Directions
   Discuss seed project goals and plans for further research development
5. Budget (not part of page limit)
   A projected budget should accompany the proposal. The budget should detail expected costs such as salaries, supplies, travel and data sources. The budget should not exceed $25,000 in direct costs.
6. Biosketch (not part of the page limit)

Individuals eligible to submit proposals include Stanford-affiliated researchers, particularly junior faculty, trainees, post-doctoral fellows, and senior academic staff. Junior/international Investigators must collaborate with a senior faculty member on their study who will act as project mentor.

Application Submission

Proposals and budget are due by July 25, 2005. Seed applications should be sent electronically as an attachment in Microsoft Word format (budgets may be sent in an Excel spreadsheet) to tamarasims@stanford.edu. If you are unable to submit your application via e-mail, please contact Tamara Sims at (650) 724-3524 to make other arrangements.

Review Process

Seed Project Proposals will be submitted to the CDEHA Advisory Committee for full review upon receipt of application. Committee members may contact applicants with questions about their proposals prior to final review to be held August 30, 2005. (Note that advisory committee members who serve as mentors on a project submitted for review must recuse themselves from evaluating their project's application.)

Upon full consideration of all eligible applications, the advisory committee will grant one-year awards to at least 2 seed projects for 2005-2006. Award notices will be issued in early September. The Advisory Committee may request budget revisions at that time.

Human Subjects Protocol

All individual seed projects will require separate IRB approval or application for exemption if appropriate. Protocol applications should be submitted immediately upon receipt of award notice for October review. Note that Stanford IRB applications are now submitted online at http://hatswebhs.stanford.edu

Compliance with the Health Insurance Portabillity and Accountability Act

All seed project investigators and their research staff are required to complete online training for HIPAA at http://irt.stanford.edu/privacy//hipaa/

Award Period

Receipt of final IRB status and revised budgets are required to qualify for distribution of funds. Seed projects may be initiated beginning November 1, 2005. The CDEHA project manager will contact investigators with details on account initiation. Investigators' award end-date will be one year from the date of their account initiation or their IRB expiration date, whichever is earliest.

Monitoring Research Quality and Progress

• All investigators are required to make an oral presentation at a Research In Progress Seminar within first 6 months of award date.
• A written progress report and second oral presentation to CDEHA members is due after first 12 months (e.g., a featured talk at the annual CDEHA retreat).
• Principal investigators will need to contact the CDEHA project manager to arrange presentation dates.

Expectations

• By end of award period, recipients should apply to external sources for extension of their research projects.
   Mentors are responsible for assisting with transition to outside support
• Grantees should submit articles for publication.
  Mentors should assist with targeting publications and reading publication drafts
• Grantees must notify CDEHA Project Manager in a timely manner about items by which CDEHA is evaluated including publications, presentations, and grant proposals.
  All publications stemming from seed projects must cite the National Institute on Aging as a funding source. Further instructions and a grant number will be given in the award notice.

Evaluation Criteria for Seed Project Program

• Publications, presentations, receipt of independent funding, and other forms of peer recognition
• Senior faculty mentors' contributions as evaluated by Alan Garber in formal report to the advisory committee

Application Support

For any assistance in preparing application materials, please contact CDEHA project manager Tamara Sims at (650) 724-3542 or at tamarasims@stanford.edu

Center Personnel

Principal Investigator, Alan Garber

Program Director, Kathryn McDonald

Communications Coordinator, Sara Selis