Race Disparity in Grants: Oversight at Home

Abstract

NIH Director Francis Collins has promised to lead the NIH in identifying the cause(s) of and redressing the recently reported disparity in NIH funding associated with race (“Weaving a richer tapestry in biomedical science,” L. A. Tabak and F. S. Collins, Policy Forum, 19 August, p. [940][1]; “Race, ethnicity, and NIH research awards,” D. K. Ginther et al. , Reports, 19 August, p. [1015][2]). The limited public discussion on the possible underlying factors has focused on the NIH review process. Although this is an obvious place to continue the investigation, the explanation may lie elsewhere. Investigators in the National Cancer Institute have reported that a major responsible factor cited by unfunded and underfunded minority investigators was “barriers at the home institution” ([ 1 ][3]). These included “inadequate research infrastructure, training, and development,” “barriers to development as independent investigators,” “inadequate mentoring,” and “lack of institutional support.” Although the report focused on barriers to NIH funding for minority investigators pursuing primarily cancer health disparities research, many of the identified obstacles apply to biomedical research funding in general. To address these issues, Director Collins must be prepared to extend NIH policies to providing better oversight of the manner in which minority investigators are treated in their home institutions. For example, although NIH requires the writing of minority recruitment plans by its grantee institutions, it currently neither evaluates how nor even whether such plans are implemented. NIH also does not require outcome measures for whether minority scientists are fairly supported and promoted for successful research careers. Such stark omissions in NIH funding policies could certainly perpetuate or engender unfair racially biased attitudes and practices that would not have been uncovered by Ginther et al. 's study. 1. [↵][4]1. V. L. Shavers 2. et al ., J. Natl. Med. Assoc. 97, 1063 (2005). [OpenUrl][5][PubMed][6] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1211704 [2]: pending:yes [3]: #ref-1 [4]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1 in text [5]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DJournal%2Bof%2Bthe%2BNational%2BMedical%2BAssociation%26rft.stitle%253DJ%2BNatl%2BMed%2BAssoc%26rft.aulast%253DShavers%26rft.auinit1%253DV.%2BL.%26rft.volume%253D97%26rft.issue%253D8%26rft.spage%253D1063%26rft.epage%253D1077%26rft.atitle%253DBarriers%2Bto%2Bracial%252Fethnic%2Bminority%2Bapplication%2Band%2Bcompetition%2Bfor%2BNIH%2Bresearch%2Bfunding.%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F16173321%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [6]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=16173321&link_type=MED&atom=%2Fsci%2F334%2F6058%2F901.atom