Grantsmanship Tips from a Successful Researcher

Writing a successful grant proposal for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) hasn’t gotten any easier – but the process is a whole lot more transparent than it used to be, says Rebecca German, Ph.D., professor of anatomy and neurobiology. From writing proposals resulting in over 30 years of NIH funding for her own research and as a reviewer of grants submitted by both young and seasoned researchers, she understands what reviewers are looking for.

Honored with the NEOMED Faculty Research Award in 2018, she is a mentor to younger researchers at the University. This academic year, Dr. German has been sharing her expertise at a series of events at NEOMED open to the University at large.
At the latest presentation, she tackled how to write the research portion of an NIH proposal, offering an insider’s helping hand and sage advice: When the NIH says to write exactly one page, do not write one page and one line.

Success breeds success

Success in writing grants has fueled Dr. German in her own work researching swallowing dysfunction (dysphagia) and the protection of respiratory airways in pre-term infants. She continues to look at potential applications of this research for older adults who have developed swallowing problems concurrent with neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s – one of the diseases studied by the Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging research focus area at NEOMED.