For the fourth consecutive year the SCMR has received an R13 Conference Grant Award (R13EB027568) to support the travel awards and mentoring programs at the annual scientific sessions. The funding proposal was led by Principal Investigator Dr. Barbara Srichai-Parsia of Georgetown University, Chair of the SCMR Women in CMR Section. SCMR 2019 Program Chair Dr. Allison Hays of Johns Hopkins University, and SCMR Early Career Section Chair Dr. Akhil Narang serve as Co-Investigators. Primary funding of $10,000 for each of the next three scientific sessions (2019-2021) was committed by the National Institutes of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), and this year the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) will contribute an additional $5,000.
The primary purpose of the R13 grant is to support and expand the Regional Travel Awards program and to promote the inclusion of women and underrepresented minorities; the goal is to increase diversity at the conference, and ultimately within the field of CMR. Funding from the NIH will be combined with money donated to the SCMR Research and Education Fund to provide travel awards worth $44,000. These awards will support the attendance of 77 trainees, including 38 women from all regions of the world, and 15 from underrepresented minority groups in the USA. The R13 funding will also support a special session organized by the Women in CMR Section offering insights and advice for women establishing a career in CMR. Additionally, separate funding was received from the NIBIB to support a Plenary Session highlighting NIBIB-funded CMR research. We are particularly honored to announce that the first NIBIB Director, Dr. Rod Pettigrew, will be chairing that session. The SCMR thanks the NIH for their generous support of these programs!
