CHER Institute 2023

About the CHER Institute

Submitted by cherAdmin on Fri, 11/11/2022 - 21:05

About the CHER Institute

Building on the lessons learned from the first six years of funding(click to see videos and programing from prior CHER Institutes), the CHER Institute has been expanded to include not only the six-day summer institute and webinar series but also two extended mentoring programs, CHER Scholars and CHER Champions.

As the CHER Institute is federally funded there is no cost to participants for any component of the CHER Institute. Participation does require signing a contract to participate in program evaluation including pretest and follow up surveys for five years after the completion of Institute activities.

Eligibility Criteria for CHER Fellows, Scholars and Champions

  • U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status (required by NIH for this R25 funding mechanism)

  • Tenure/Tenure-track faculty member status at an eligible institution (individuals from non-MSIs may apply, but priority will be given to those from MSIs)

  • Ability to serve as a Principal Investigator at an institution that is eligible to receive federal research funding

  • Completion of a terminal research degree or medical residency (whichever date is later) within the past 10 years (excludes CHER Champions)

  • No previous NIH funding as the Principal Investigator of an NIH R01 or career development award (K award)

Graphic of the components of the CHER Institute

CHER Summer Institute

The virtual Summer CHER Institute is comprised of plenary sessions, seminars, small group science chats, mentoring activities, and peer review and networking sessions designed to increase the number of early career faculty members who are better prepared to become NIH principal investigators in the field of community-engaged biomedical research with basic, clinical, or behavioral outcomes to eliminate health disparities among racial/ethnic minority populations; and to increase the quantity and quality of health equity research targeting vulnerable ethnic minority populations developed by CHER Institute participants.

Required: To be selected for the program, the applicant must demonstrate that they:

  • Are committed to community-engaged biomedical research with basic, clinical, or behavioral outcomes to eliminate health disparities among racial/ethnic minority populations
  • Are able to construct a two-page research prospectus for conducting community-based biomedical research to enhance health equity among underrepresented marginalized populations
  • Have experience conducting research and publishing in peer-reviewed journals
  • Are willing to sign a contract agreeing to the time commitments involved with the 6-day CHER Institute, and annual data collection

Preferred: The most competitive applicants will also demonstrate:

  • Experience conducting research in community-engaged biomedical research
  • History of obtaining funding for research (e.g., small or exploratory grants, including state, local, and university grants)
  • Experience conducting research in communities with underrepresented minority populations and high levels of health disparities

Plenary session topics include:

  • Overview of NIH institutes, the grant application and review process;
  • Components of writing a compelling NIH grant proposal,
  • Selecting the appropriate qualitative and/or quantitative method(s),
  • The basics of experimental designs and bias in experiments;
  • Developing a data analysis plan including power analysis,
  • Building relationships with faculty mentors with a strong history of NIH funding,
  • Addressing barriers and challenges that one may encounter at an MSI for developing and submitting grants to NIH,
  • Practical and ethical research considerations,
  • Tips and strategies to consider for balancing career, professional development, and life’s journey, and
  • Strategies for inclusion of URM in research recruitment in biomedical research

Tracks

While all participants will receive mentor support to develop a Specific Aims section of a grant proposal and a professional development plan, there will be two separate tracks available for participants.

  • Track 1 is designed for early career investigators or who can benefit from preparing to develop a manuscript for publication to support their future grant submissions.  Participants will be guided to develop an outline for a manuscript using their own pilot data or secondary data.
  • Track 2 is designed for early career investigators who are more ready to develop a grant proposal for submission in the near future Participants will be guided to develop an outline for their approach section.

At the start of the CHER Institute, the Faculty Mentor assigned to the participant will review the participant’s level of grant readiness and determine the appropriate track.

Deliverables for the CHER Institute

Institute Preparation

  • Submit Biographical Sketch and photo
  • Media Release form
  • Confidentiality and Nondisclosure Agreement
  • Complete Pre-Institute Assessment
  • Review Videos on Grant Development
  • Submit Literature Review
  • Draft of Professional Development Plan
  • Draft of Specific Aims

During the Institute

  • Complete daily online surveys
  • Finalize Professional Development Plan
  • Develop Specific Aims Page
  • Track 1: Create an outline for a manuscript
  • Track 2: Create an outline for proposal approach section

After the Institute

  • Complete Post Assessment
  • Completion of CHER Institute Annual Survey and submission of CV for up to 5 years post Institute participation

CHER Scholars

As part of the Extended Mentoring Program, CHER Scholars will receive 6-12 months of support and guidance from an assigned mentor. The program will foster project-based learning experiences. Scholars will continue to work on either their Institute related proposal development and/or a manuscript utilizing their preliminary data or a secondary data set. Those working on a manuscript will do so with the aim of having published work to support their developing grant proposal.

In addition to the general CHER Institute eligibility requirements, the following are the required and preferred criteria for the CHER Scholars.

Required: To be selected for the program, the applicant must demonstrate that they:

  • Have completed the 6-day CHER Institute and submitted all deliverables.
  • Are willing to sign a contract agreeing to the time commitments involved with the 12-month extended mentoring and annual data collection

Preferred: The most competitive applicants will also demonstrate:

  • Ability to utilize mentor feedback to make improvements on their proposal
  •  Completion of Track 2 in the CHER Institute

  • Submit signed contract
  • Submit a completed full draft of either a grant proposal (Track 2) or manuscript (Track 1) by the end of the 12-month program.
  • Participate in the CHER Institute Webinar Series
  • Submit mentoring sessions reports 
  • Completion of CHER Institute Annual Survey and submission of CV for up to 5 years post Scholars participation

CHER Champions

As part of the Writing Retreat, in Spring, CHER Champions will receive support for research to support course buyout, including salary for protected time to conduct research; pilot data expenses; and/or student research assistant. Guidance will be provided for each champion by an assigned CHER Institute faculty mentor.

In addition to the general CHER Institute eligibility requirements the following are the required and preferred criteria for the CHER Champions.

Required: To be selected for the program, the applicant must demonstrate that they:

  • Have completed the 6-day 2023 (or later) CHER Institute Track 2 or CHER Institute 2017-2022 and submitted all deliverables
  • Are willing to sign a contract agreeing to the time commitments involved with the 6-month writing retreat and annual data collection

Preferred: The most competitive applicant:

  • Will have a well-developed research proposal focused on health equity that has potential for submission or resubmission to an identified funding source. The proposal shall include achievable aims, a methods section (appropriate and feasible protocol), and should include a projected plan for dissemination of findings, and next steps.
  • Demonstrated ability during the CHER Institute  to utilize mentor feedback to make improvements to their proposal
  • Will have preliminary data, published works, and/or a well-established literature review on the proposed grant topic

  • Submit signed contract
  • Complete pre-writing retreat survey
  • Submit report after each meeting with mentor
  • Participate in the CHER Institute Webinar Series —Optional
  • Submit proposal to the CHER Institute leadership team and mentors for a mock review
  • Complete post-writing retreat survey
  • Submit a new (AO) proposal or a resubmission (A1) for submission to NIH within six months of participating in the Writing Retreat
  • Completion of CHER Institute Annual Survey and submission of CV for up to 5 years post Champion participation

Webinar Series

The CHER Institute will be hosting webinars 4 times a year for research training and professional development. Please check back to see the webinar schedule. Click here to view the topics presented at the CHER Institute webinars from 2017-2022.

2022-23 Webinars

Thursday, Dec 8th 2022
10 - 11 AM PST

Dr. Daniel Sarpong

Senior Research Scientist and Executive Director, Office of Health Equity Research

General Internal Medicine, Yale University

Website: https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/daniel_sarpong/

  • Learning Objectives —Upon completion of this webinar the learner will have increased knowledge on:What is clinical and translational research;
  • What to consider including in the data analysis section of a NIH grant proposal;
  • The importance of linking theoretical concepts to the analyses.

Who should register: College or University faculty, particularly new researchers and those at minority-serving institutions, intending to submit an application for funds to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct health equity research.

Online Registration has closed for this event.

Wednesday, Apr 5th 2023
10 - 11 AM PDT

Dr. Dennis Fortenberry, MD, MS

Professor of Pediatrics
Indiana University School of Medicine

Website: https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/6500/fortenberry-james

Learning Objectives — Upon completion of this webinar the learner will have:

  • Increased knowledge on the importance of randomized trials for NIH level funded studies;
  • Increased knowledge for transparency reporting; and
  • Recommendations for consolidated standards of reporting trials

Who should register: College or University faculty, particularly new researchers and those at minority-serving institutions, intending to submit an application for funds to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct health equity research.

Online Registration has closed for this event.

Thursday, Apr 20th 2023
10 - 11 AM PDT

Dr. David Pollio

Scientific Review Officer
Social and Community Influences Across the Lifecourse (SCIL) Review Branch
Center for Scientific Review
National Institutes of Health

Website: https://public.csr.nih.gov/AboutCSR/StaffDirectory/3202

Learning Objectives — Upon completion of this webinar the learner will have:

  • Gain a better understanding of how NIH applications are evaluated
  • Learn what really impresses reviewers and apply that knowledge to your future applications
  • Understand the benefits of serving as a reviewer

Who should register: College or University faculty, particularly new researchers and those at minority-serving institutions, intending to submit an application for funds to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct health equity research.

Online Registration has closed for this event.

Jun 5th - 10th 2023

The 2023 CHER Institute will be held June 5th-10th, virtually. 

The 2023 application period has ended..
Applications for 2024 will be available in Fall, 2023!

CLICK HERE to learn more or apply or to learn about new opportunities for CHER Institute alumni!

Friday, Jun 9th 2023
12 - 2 PM PDT

Join us for the Fourth annual CHER Institute Research Spotlight and Social!

Save the date for Friday June 9th 12:00-2:00PM Pacific Time.

Spotlight Link:

https://csulb.zoom.us/j/87994714302

You will have the opportunity to connect with past Institute colleagues and mentors, and you will have the opportunity to welcome a new cohort to the CHER Institute Family! This year we will be Spotlighting the work of:

Michelle M. Vance, PhD, MSW,
North Carolina A &T University, Social Work,
CHER Fellow 2020, will be sharing Culturally Adapted Linking Individuals Need Care (CA-LINC) Project

and,

Isabella Lanza, PhD, 
CSULB, Human Development,
CHER Fellow 2019, will be sharing: From CHER Institute to Present: Examining co-occurring health-risk behaviors among young adults.

Add To My Calendar

 


Looking for Information about the CHER Institute from 2017-2022? Click Here to visit the CHER Institute Archive

The CHER team is here to help you with any questions you may have about the institute and application process. When emailing please Cc: CSULB-CHER@csulb.edu to facilitate quick response if the preferred team member is not available.

For general, application and eligibility questions please contact:
Evaluation and Data Coordinator, Dr. Wendy Nomura : Wendy.Nomura@csulb.edu

For information on Contracts or other agreements please contact:
Program Coordinator Ms. Carol Canjura: Carol.Canjura@csulb.edu

Institute Faculty and Mentors

Submitted by cherAdmin on Fri, 11/11/2022 - 21:34

CHER Institute Faculty Mentors

Researchers from diverse backgrounds, including racial and ethnic minorities and women, serve as CHER Institute Faculty Mentors. Some of these faculty members come from institutions with significant NIH support and others come from MSIs leading to a range of experiences and barriers in navigating institutional support.

Together, CHER Institute Faculty Mentors have a breadth of research experience in the areas of: health equity, cancer, HIV/AIDS, sexual health within adolescent and ethnic and sexual minority populations, social psychology, applied biostatistics, social work, preventative medicine, innovative data collection strategies, and community-based participatory research methods. In each case, faculty members were selected based on their scholarly contributions to their respective specialty focus within the broad fields of public health and health equity. Faculty Mentors participate in the various components of the CHER Institute based on availability and need.

CHER Institute Co-Directors

Laura D’Anna, Dr.PH, MPA

CHER Director

Associate Professor, Department of Health Science, California State University, Long Beach

Alex Washington, Ph.D.

Professor, School of Social Work

Faculty Equity Advocate, College of Health and Human Services, California State University, Long Beach

CHER Institute Faculty Mentors

Sonya Arreola, Ph.D., M.P.H.,

Director, Arreola Research

Principal Investigator, Global Men’s Health and Rights Study

University of California, San Francisco

For more information on Dr. Arreola please see

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Sonya+Arreola

 

Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati, Ph.D.

Professor, Dept. of Population and Public Health Sciences

Associate Dean for Community Initiatives

Associate Director for Community Outreach and Engagement, USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine

 

Roshan Bastani, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management Director, UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity Director, UCLA Center for Prevention Research, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health; Director, Disparities and Community Engagement

Co-Director, Cancer Prevention and Control Research Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA

University of California, Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health

https://ph.ucla.edu/faculty/bastani

 

Niloo Bavarian, Ph.D.

Associate Professor Department of Health Science

CHER Institute Fellow Alumna

California State University, Long Beach for more information on Dr. Bavarian please see

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Bavarian+N

 

Ricky N. Bluthenthal, Ph.D.

Associate Dean for Social Justice

Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine

Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

You may review Dr. Bluthenthal’s publications at https://keck.usc.edu/faculty-search/ricky-bluthenthal/

 

Ronald L. Braithwaite, Ph.D.

Professor Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Emeritus

Morehouse School of Medicine

 

Dorothy C. Browne, Dr.P

Professor Emerita / Adjunct Professor

Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

You may review Dr. Browne’s profile at

https://sph.unc.edu/adv_profile/dorothy-c-browne-drph/

 

Bradley T. Conner, Ph.D.

Associate Professor & Licensed Psychologist

Director, Addiction Counseling Program

Colorado State University

Dr. Conner's Publications may be viewed at: http://psywebserv.psych.colostate.edu/psylist/detail.asp?Num=346

 

Mario De La Rosa, PhD, MSSA

Professor, Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work and Herbert Wetheim College of Medicine

Director, Center for Research on US Latino HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse

Florida International University

https://stempel.fiu.edu/faculty-staff/profiles/de-la-rosa-mario.html

 

Dennis Fortenberry, M.D.

Professor of Pediatrics & Adjunct Professor School of Public Health

Division Chief, Section of Adolescent Medicine

Indiana University School of Medicine

Dr. Fortenberry's Full Bio can be found at the Indian University School of Medicine:

https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/6500/fortenberry-james

 

Naomi Hall-Byers, Ph.D. MPH

Professor of Psychology, Psychological Sciences

Winston-Salem State University

https://www.wssu.edu/profiles/hallna/index.html

https://www.nsf.gov/staff/staff_bio.jsp?lan=nhallbye&org=SES&from_org=SES

 

Nina T. Harawa, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Professor-In-Residence, Department of Medicine

Professor, Department of Psychiatry

David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles

College of Medicine, Charles R. Drew University

For more information see Dr. Harawa at: https://ph.ucla.edu/faculty/harawa

 

C. Kevin Malotte, Dr.PH

Professor Emeritus

California State University Long Beach

 

Robin Miller, Ph.D.

Professor, Psychology

Director, Doctoral Program in Ecological-community Psychology

Michigan State University

 

Matthew Mutchler, Ph.D.

Director of Assessment, Academic Affairs

Professor, Health Science

Director, Urban Community Research Center

California State University, Dominguez Hills

For more information on Dr. Mutchler please see

https://www.csudh.edu/health-sciences/health-science/faculty/matt-mutchler

 

Daniel Sarpong, Ph.D.

Professor of Biostatistics, College of Pharmacy

Director, Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science Center Community Engagement and Outreach Resource Core

Director, XAVIER RCMI Cancer Center Community Engagement Core

Xavier University of Louisiana

For more information on Dr. Sarpong please see https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/daniel_sarpong/

 

Fernando Wagner, D.Sc.

Professor, School of Social Work

Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland

To learn more about Dr. Wagner as well as see his introductory video at:  https://www.ssw.umaryland.edu/academics/faculty/fernando-wagner/

Apply

Submitted by cherAdmin on Mon, 11/14/2022 - 14:49

The process for acceptance into the CHER Institute programs is highly competitive. The CHER Institute Review Committee will review, score, and select those who will participate as Fellows, Scholars, and Champions. Please review the details of each program on the About page before applying. Applicants will be notified by email of acceptance or denial.

Application Periods:

  • Summer CHER Institute: The 2023 Application period has ended, 2024 applications will be available in Fall, 2023
  • CHER Scholars: June 15 to July 15 of the year participated in the CHER Institute.
  • CHER Champions: June 15 to August 15

CHER Summer Institute

Application Deadlines:

  • Application for 2024 will be available beginning Fall 2023.

Eligibility

As the CHER Institute is federally funded all of the following eligibility criteria are required. Please review the following criteria to establish if you are eligible for the CHER Institute before completing and submitting your application. If you have any questions about your eligibility, please contact Dr. Wendy Nomura at Wendy.Nomrua@csulb.edu.

CHER Institute Eligibility Criteria

Eligible

Ineligible

I currently hold a tenure/tenure track position at an institution that is eligible to receive federal funding.

Yes

No

I am a US citizen or have permanent resident status in the United States. (Required by the NIH for this R25 funding mechanism.)

Yes

No

I have completed my terminal degree within the last 10 years.

Yes

No

I have never received NIH R01 or NIH K grant funding.

Yes

No

I am committed to community-engaged biomedical research with basic, clinical, or behavioral outcomes to eliminate health disparities among racial/ethnic minority populations.

Yes

No

I have experience conducting research and publishing in peer-reviewed journal(s)

Yes

No

I am able to commit to attend the full six-day summer session June 5-10, 2023 online

Yes

No

I am able to commit to completing program evaluation surveys during and for 5 years post the CHER Institute.

Yes

No

 

The components of the Application include:

The application is provided as a MSWord document template . There is also a sample application to help with filling out the application. Two letters of recommendation (sent separately) are also required.

  • Contact Information
  • Summary of Eligibility
  • Demographic Information (required by the NIH funder)
  • Proposed Research Summary
  • Description of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods Experience
  • Curriculum Vitae in template format
  • Two letters of recommendation (sent separately)

Submitting the Application

The application and letters of recommendation are to be emailed to the CHER Team: Please email applications and letters of recommendation to: Wendy.Nomura@csulb.edu and Cc: CSULB-CHER@csulb.edu.

CHER Scholars

To apply and be selected for the CHER Scholars Extended Mentoring Program, applicants must have recently participated in and completed the CHER Institute six-day training program. For example, those who participated in the summer 2023 six-day training program will be eligible to apply for the Scholars Program in July 2023 and if selected, will begin receiving extended mentoring fall 2023 through summer 2024.

Eligibility Criteria

Please assure your eligibility status before submitting your application, to apply you need to meet all of the following eligibility criteria.

CHER Scholars Eligibility Criteria

Eligible

Ineligible

I currently hold a tenure/tenure track position at an institution that is eligible to receive federal funding.

Yes

No

I am a US citizen or have permanent resident status in the United States.

Yes

No

I have never received NIH R01 or NIH K grant funding.

Yes

No

I completed the CHER Institute in Summer 2023 and submitted all my deliverables.

Yes

No

I am able to commit to six months to a year of meeting with my mentor for 8 hours and to work on my proposal or manuscript to submit within a year.

Yes

No

I am able to commit to completing program evaluation surveys during and for 5 years post CHER Scholars.

Yes

No

 

Available mentors for 2023-2024

Use this list of mentors to select your mentor preference on your application. You may review their Bios here . Mentor availability is subject to change without notice.

 

Sonya Arreola, Ph.D., M.P.H.,

Niloo Bavarian, Ph.D.

Dorothy C. Browne, Dr.P

Bradley T. Conner, Ph.D.

Naomi Hall-Byers, Ph.D. MPH

Nina T. Harawa, Ph.D., M.P.H.

C. Kevin Malotte, Dr.PH

Robin Miller, Ph.D.

Matthew Mutchler, Ph.D.

Fernando Wagner, D.Sc.

 

Components of the application include (please return later for application materials):

Submitting the Application

The application is to be emailed to the CHER Team: Please email application materials to: Wendy.Nomura@csulb.edu and Cc: CSULB-CHER@csulb.edu.

CHER Champions

Eligibility Criteria

Please assure your eligibility status before submitting your application, to apply you need to meet all of the following eligibility criteria.

CHER Champions Eligibility Criteria

Eligible

Ineligible

I currently hold a tenure/tenure track position at an institution that is eligible to receive federal funding.

Yes

No

I am a US citizen or have permanent resident status in the United States.

Yes

No

I have never received NIH R01 or NIH K grant funding.

Yes

No

I completed the CHER Institute in Track 1 in 2023 or later, or attended the CHER Institute between 2017 -2022, and submitted all my deliverables.

Yes

No

I am able to commit to sign a contract agreeing to the time commitments involved (minimum of six 1-hour mentoring sessions) with the 6-month writing retreat.

Yes

No

I am able to commit to completing program evaluation surveys during and for 5 years post CHER Champions.

Yes

No

Available mentors for Spring 2024

Use this list of mentors to select your mentor preference on your application. You may review Faculty Mentor Bios here. Mentor availability is subject to change without notice.

Sonya Arreola, Ph.D., M.P.H.,

Niloo Bavarian, Ph.D.

Bradley T. Conner, Ph.D.

Naomi Hall-Byers, Ph.D. MPH

Nina T. Harawa, Ph.D., M.P.H.

C. Kevin Malotte, Dr.PH

Robin Miller, Ph.D.

Matthew Mutchler, Ph.D.

Fernando Wagner, D.Sc.

Components of the application include:

Application material

  1. Complete the Downloadable Application Form. You will need to including the following components:
  • Draft of proposed project
  • Research work plan and timeline
  • a proposed budget for the $15K award from CHER Institute
  1. Letter from an administrator (i.e. department unit chair/director/dean) from your university agreeing to allow for a course buyout
  2. Two letters of recommendation

Submitting the Application

The application is to be emailed to the CHER Team: Please email application materials to: Wendy.Nomura@csulb.edu and Cc: CSULB-CHER@csulb.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Submitted by cherAdmin on Mon, 11/14/2022 - 14:52
  • What if I am not tenure track or tenured faculty?
    Answer: Only tenure track or tenured faculty may apply
  • Do I need to attend all 6 days of the CHER Institute?
    Answer: Yes, full participation is required to enroll in the institute.
  • I am not currently at an MSI may I apply?
    Answer: Yes. Although priority is given to faculty from MSIs, those not in MSIs may also apply.
  • Who receives priority in being accepted into these programs?
    Answer: The priority is given to those who are from MSIs and who show potential for working to reduce health disparities in underserved populations.
  •  How is this program cited in my CV?
    Answer: Some fellows put the CHER Institute under research trainings, others put it under awards as it is a competitive process to be accepted to the CHER Institute.
  • Do I receive a certificate of completion?
    Answer: Yes. Certificates of completion are mailed to fellows after all deliverables including evaluation survey are completed.