Chasan-Taber Updates Grant Proposal Writing Guide

Lisa Chasan-Taber, UMass Amherst professor and chair of biostatistics and epidemiology in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, has updated her seminal textbook, “Writing Grant Proposals in Epidemiology Preventive Medicine, and Biostatistics.” The book’s second edition is now available from publisher Chapman and Hall.

Image

Competition for research funds in epidemiology, preventive medicine and biostatistics is highly competitive, Chasan-Taber notes.

“The first edition of this book was published in 2014, eight years ago,” she says. “Since that time, there have been substantive changes to National Institutes of Health grant submission guidelines and review criteria. Writing Grant Proposals in Epidemiology Preventive Medicine, and Biostatistics targets effective grant proposal writing in this highly competitive and evolving environment.”

The textbook covers all aspects of the proposal writing process, including:

• Step-by-step guidelines for grant structure and style alongside broader strategies for developing a research funding portfolio.
•  How to avoid common errors and pitfalls, supplying critical dos and don’ts that aid in writing solid grant proposals.
• Key concepts illustrated with extensive examples from successfully funded proposals.

The second edition updates the original text with a new chapter on significance and innovation that provides strategies to highlight the “overall impact” of the grant, one of the most important aspects determining NIH funding. It also includes new chapters with contributions from UMass Amherst colleague Rebecca Spencer, professor of psychological and brain sciences, on fellowship grants and career development awards designed for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and early-career faculty.

“It has become clear in these competitive times that graduate students, medical students/residents, postdoctoral fellows and early-career faculty need additional support launching their careers,” Chasan-Taber says. “The text is not only relevant for early-stage investigators, but also valuable for more experienced faculty, clinicians, epidemiologists and other health professionals who cannot seem to break the barrier to obtain NIH-funded research.”

Chasan-Taber is an established NIH reviewer with an impressive track record of funding, including more than $12 million as principal investigator of NIH-funded research grants. She has taught proposal and grant writing for more than 20 years, during which time she has published more than 125 peer-reviewed journal articles. Among her many honors, Chasan-Taber has been recognized for her research through the Chancellor’s Medal, the highest recognition bestowed to faculty by the University of Massachusetts Amherst.