How AFSP Funds Research
Grants are awarded by the board of directors acting upon the recommendations of the Research Grants Committee, a committee of the Scientific Council. Each grant application is reviewed independently by two members of the Scientific Advisors, selected for their expertise in the specific topic or type of research. Each of the reviewers completes a structured review form and assigns the application an initial priority score, ranging from 1.0 (highest) to 9.0 (lowest). The application and initial reviews are then given to a member of the Research Grants Committee who has the appropriate expertise. The committee member prepares a structured summary review, with a recommended priority score, and presents the application to the full committee. Following discussion, each member of the committee assigns the application a priority score by secret ballot; the scores of the individual members are averaged to produce a final priority score, with the best applications receiving funding.
At each level of review, applications are evaluated on the basis of:
Scientific Advisors may not review applications submitted by individuals who are affiliated with their own university or institution, applications by investigators with whom they have previously worked or consulted, or those which pose any financial or other conflict of interest. Members of the Research Grant Committee are not present for the discussion of, or assignment of priority scores to, applications involving any of these conflicts.
Following the review process and the approval of the Research Grant Committee's funding recommendations by the AFSP Board, applicants are notified of the decision about funding, and receive their priority score. Applicants who are not funded may request a written summary of the reviewers' comments.
Research Grants Committee Membership
Peter M. Marzuk, M.D., Cornell Medical Center, Chair
Victoria Arango, Ph.D., Columbia University Medical Center
David A. Brent, M.D., University of Pittsburgh
Gregory Brown, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Gabrielle Carlson, M.D., SUNY Stony Brook University, NY
Emil Coccaro, M.D., University of Chicago
Yeates Conwell, M.D., University of Rochester
William Coryell, M.D., University of Iowa
J. Raymond DePaulo Jr., M.D., Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
David Goldston, Ph.D., Duke University
Nadine Kaslow, Ph.D., Emory University
Cheryl King, Ph.D.,University of Michigan
Elizabeth McCauley, Ph.D., University of Washington, WA
Gregory Ordway, Ph.D.,Quillen College of Medicine, TN
James B. Potash, M.D., M.P.H., Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Katherine Shear, M.D., Columbia University School of Social Work
Staff Support
Paula J. Clayton, M.D., Medical Director
Stephen H. Koslow, Ph.D., Research Director
Leanne Spaulding, Assistant to the Research Director
