Writing Grant Proposals in Epidemiology, Preventive Medicine, and Biostatistics

Preface to 2nd Edition. Author Bio. 1 Ten Top Tips for Successful Grant Proposal Writing. Part I Preparing to Write the Grant Proposal. 2 Setting up a Time Frame. 3 Identifying a Topic and Conducting the Literature Search. 4 Choosing the Right Funding Source. 5 Scientific Writing. Part II The Grant Proposal: Section by Section. 6 Specific Aims. 7 How to Develop and Write Hypotheses. 8 Significance and Innovation. 9 Preliminary Studies. 10 Pilot Grants: Reproducibility and Validity Studies. 11 Study Design and Methods. 12 Data Analysis Plan. 13 Power and Sample Size. 14 Study Limitations to Consider. 15 How to Present Limitations and Alternatives. 16 Project Summary/Abstract. Part III Submission and Resubmission. 17 Submission of the Grant Proposal. 18 Fellowship Grants. 19 Career Development Awards. 20 Review Process. 21 Resubmission of the Grant Proposal. Index.

Biography

Dr. Lisa Chasan-Taber is a Professor of Epidemiology and the former Associate Dean for Research at the School of Public Health & Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Dr. Chasan-Taber has had a history of continual funding from NIH and national foundations throughout her research career. She has been a standing member on National Institutes of Health (NIH) review panels, a mentor on NIH Research Career Development Awards, and the Principal Investigator of mentoring grants designed to provide early-career faculty with successful grant-writing strategies.　For more than 20 years, she has taught a class on grant proposal writing for graduate students which formed the basis for this textbook. Dr. Chasan-Taber has been recognized for her research through the Chancellor’s Medal, the highest recognition bestowed to faculty by the university. Dr. Chasan-Taber received her post-doctoral and doctoral training in epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.

"This book succeeds brilliantly: it is well organized, easy to read, and packed with practical advice. Its main target is early career faculty, but even senior researchers may find it educational . . . covers Prof. Chasan-Taber’s Ten Top Tips for Successful Grant Proposal Writing. As for the chapter on scientific writing, if you have time to read only a short piece about writing, this is as good as it gets. Chapter 14, Study Limitations to Consider, discusses eight (!) general classes of limitations and the section, Issues for Critical Reading, has a table for each of cohort studies, randomized trials, and case–control/cross-sectional studies, listing possible limitations with specific questions you can address. No matter how long you have been writing proposals, this kind of checklist is valuable. It has two other chapters for young researchers, on fellowships and early career awards. The latter exemplify this book’s attention to detail with, for example, advice for writing the Contribution to Science section of an NIH bio-sketch, which is hard for grad students who might reasonably think they have not yet made any contributions to science. . .”
~James S. Hodges, University of Minnesota, Biometrics 2023

"This is an excellent resource and has become an important addition to my personal library. This second edition addresses important changes that have occurred with NIH grant submission guidelines and reviews criteria since the first edition was published in 2014. The material is easy to follow and provides very useful strategies, tips, examples, and explanations from a well-qualified author with years of experience as an NIH reviewer and successful grant proposal writer." 
~Robert Niezgoda, University of Iowa College of Public Health

Praise for the First Edition:

"NIH grant funding has become increasingly difficult and essential for academic success, and the process of preparing a proposal can feel daunting to a young investigator. This book takes this complex and challenging process and breaks it down into tangible and guided steps, providing a comprehensive summary of how to write a clear and engaging proposal. The focus is on a dissertation proposal or an NIH grant, but many of the concepts are more general, focusing on organization and style. Thus, while it could be very useful for a doctoral student or young investigator submitting a first NIH grant, many of the ideas would be useful to even the most seasoned academic writer. … The contents are very structured and provide an easily referenced step-by-step approach to completing a submission. With a very detailed table of contents, the book is a good reference. Each section includes real examples, as well as the suggestions for improvement for each example. The author of the book has many years of successful grant funding as well as teaching and mentoring experience. … In general, this is a useful book as many of the ideas could improve a proposal. Further, they are generalizable to other types of technical communication such as manuscript preparation and submission. Thus this is a unique reference book, and would serve well in the library of academic programs as well as academic health center libraries."
~Dianne Finkelstein, Massachusetts General Hospital, in?Biometrics, September 2017

"…by reading the book, following the tips and taking note of the examples, the to-dos, and the not-to-dos, students and academics in epidemiology and medicine should gain an understanding of how to put together a highly competitive proposal.
Although the examples focus on epidemiology, the summary checklists and guidelines for grant structure can be applied when seeking research funding in any discipline. The book is written as a textbook with graduate students and young academics as the target audience, but researchers at any stage of their career may also find key ingredients that they have missed that will help make their grant proposal a winning piece…All chapters include annotated examples from successfully funded proposals, as well as examples in need of improvement with comments on how the writing could be enhanced. The author has also noted important caveats, potential pitfalls, and friendly reminders on specific topics with emphasis on avoiding common errors and important features to incorporate into a proposal…This book can serve as teaching material or as a review for researchers to better understand potential statistical issues, for example, study design and analysis techniques to minimize biases that may arise in studies (see Chapter 13). Overall, the book is a great reference. The organization and step-by-step guidelines make this book a comprehensive resource for anyone writing a dissertation or a grant proposal. I now reference this book when I have to write a grant proposal, and wish a text like this had been available during my graduate studies. I recommend this book to anyone in academia. It would be a practical addition to the libraries of both new and experienced researchers."
~Maggie Chu, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, in?The American Statistician, March 2016

"… a must-have book for young investigators, including graduate students, postdoctoral students, and junior faculty. Even seasoned grant proposal writers can benefit from the information provided in this book. … The table of contents is very elaborate and specific, which makes it quick and easy to look up any particular subject. Additional tips and examples that will be extremely useful for novice researchers are sprinkled throughout the book. I highly recommend this book for budding scientists."
~Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, December 2014

"Writing Dissertation and Grant Proposals by Lisa Chasan-Taber is a unique and much-needed text for students and fellows in epidemiology, preventive medicine, and biostatistics. This text is unlike any other to date in this field, as it is comprehensive in scope, very well organized, and accessible to students and the faculty who teach them in the classroom and in the field in general. Dr. Chasan-Taber has been teaching grant proposal writing for over 15 years, and this text reflects her talents and vast knowledge and experience in this area. Whether you are looking for training in scientific writing, developing and formulating hypotheses, guidelines on proposal organization and time management, or assistance in submitting proposals, there is something in this text for all of these subject areas and a whole lot more. Additionally, there are up-to-date chapters on statistical analyses, study design issues, and biases that must be dealt with carefully when proposing research for dissertation topics or for acquiring funding from competitive mechanisms such as the NIH and elsewhere. This text should become a very popular, required text for graduate students, fellows, and faculty in the fields of public health, medicine, and related disciplines."
~Mark A. Pereira and Bernard L. Harlow, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health

"Having taught the development of scientific research proposals for several years, I appreciate the numerous pearls of wisdom to be found in this comprehensive manual for writing dissertations and grant proposals. Dr. Chasan-Taber identifies the problems in scientific logic and writing that commonly interfere with the clarity of scientific proposals, and skillfully guides the reader through every component of the grant writing process."
~Nigel Paneth, MD, MPH, University Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University

"This comprehensive and well-designed guide to successful dissertation and grant writing is long overdue and should serve as an important addition to the literature. This book will not only be of use to doctoral students and newly minted faculty but also should serve as an excellent checklist and review for more seasoned investigators. The text is divided into a number of discrete sections. The first section deals very nicely with the process of developing and clearly describing the study hypothesis, the background literature supporting the research proposal, and a statement of how the study is likely to add to our scientific knowledge. The section also provides a helpful list of traps to avoid in scientific writing and includes a number of useful examples. Part two is a step-by-step tutorial that takes the reader through the development and writing of the dissertation proposal. Part three deals with writing grant proposals and proceeds in a similar fashion by starting with a discussion of how to select the right funding source, followed by a description of how to submit the grant and a description of what is usually involved in the grant review process. The section dealing with resubmission of grant applications is especially important given the recent stagnant nature of federal research funding. Success is often measured by the ability of the principal investigator to accurately interpret the message being sent by the initial review panel. I would recommend that all students and faculty have a copy of this text on their office bookshelves."
~Philip C. Nasca, MS, PhD, FACE, Dean, University at Albany, The State University of New York

"Getting grants continues to be a condition of tenure in many biostatistics departments, yet the NIH has not grown in real terms for several years. As such, grant-writing skills are more important than ever, and this engaging book fills an important niche here. The author’s wealth of experience shines through, and the book is full of examples and great advice. It’s a strong book and one I’ll recommend to my junior colleagues."
~Bradley P. Carlin, Professor and Head of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota

"Like a good research study, this new book fills an important knowledge gap. In this case, the gap is the absence of a comprehensive guide to the writing of both dissertation and grant proposals. This book, designed for both graduate students and early career researchers, admirably meets this need. While the content is targeted to those in public health-related fields, most of the information will be perfectly applicable to students and researchers in a wide range of disciplines, including kinesiology, nutrition, and the rehabilitation sciences.
The book format is very user friendly, with each step of the proposal-writing process clearly explained and accompanied by valuable guidelines and tips. I found the section on ‘grantsmanship’ especially effective in taking the mystery out of the grant writing, funding, and review process. This section should be a must read for any budding researcher beginning the grant-writing process."
~Michael D. Schmidt, Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia

"Chasan-Taber provides an accessible ‘soup to nuts’ approach to the often challenging and stressful process of thesis and grant proposal writing with this step-by-step guide. Full of examples and stylistic tips, this text breaks down the proposal writing process into easy-to-accomplish tasks. For doctoral students and junior faculty alike, the insider knowledge she shares from her years of experience as a mentor and proposal reviewer is invaluable. I highly recommend this as a go-to text for doctoral students as they craft their theses, and will employ much of the advice Chasan-Taber provides in my own proposals."
~Renée Turzanski Fortner, Ph.D., Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)

"Dr. Lisa Chasan-Taber makes the often elusive skill known as ‘grantsmanship’ readily accessible to the early career investigator in her new textbook, Writing Dissertation and Grant Proposals: Epidemiology, Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics. With more than a decade of continuous NIH funding, she has successfully translated her vast personal experience and success into a user-friendly guide. Following the tips she offers in this clear, concise text could make the difference between writing a good proposal and a funded proposal. Although the wisdom imparted might be obtainable over many years through mentorship and trial-by-fire, this is the first comprehensive guide that puts the ‘secrets’ of successful grant writing into an efficient, easy-to-read package. As a junior investigator transitioning to independence, I would highly recommend this textbook to anyone seeking to pursue grant-funded research in the fields of epidemiology, biostatistics, preventive medicine, and health services research."
~Sarah L. Goff, MD, Center for Quality of Care Research, Baystate Medical Center/Tufts University School of Medicine

"Chasan-Taber provides a straightforward guide to putting together a winning research proposal. As this book makes clear, if one is to make an impact, it is not sufficient to reach the truth; you must persuade your colleagues of it. This rich resource provides comprehensive and clear step-by-step instructions toward that aim. I wish I had such a guide when I was starting out."
~Meir Stampfer, MD, DrPH, Professor and Former Chair, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health; Director, Chronic Disease Epidemiology Unit, Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School; and Former Chair, NIH Cancer Epidemiology Grant Review Panel

"Dr. Chasan-Taber’s book Writing Dissertation and Grant Proposals: Epidemiology, Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics is truly remarkable. It takes historically stressful, complicated, and often non-transparent processes, like dissertation and grant proposal writing, and transforms them into relaxing and even enjoyable experiences. She breaks down these processes into clear, simple, and logical steps. I don’t know how it is possible but she has written an epidemiology/biostatistics (plus so much) more book that is literally a joy to read from beginning to end but also perfectly organized to as a reference book. There are near constant ‘ah-ha’ moments throughout the book as the proposal process is demystified.
This book is perfectly suited for early-career faculty, post-docs and even doctoral students. I anticipate mid-career researchers will also have interest and can appreciate some of the finer points and illuminating moments. I wish this book existed when I was starting out. A copy will sit on my desk as a companion reference and I will be providing a copy to my trainees, advisees, and mentees.
Dr. Chasan-Taber’s years of teaching and mentoring shine through this book. As you read, you have the sense of being instructed, guided, nurtured, and supported by a very invested and knowledgeable mentor. The mix of didactic instructions and illustrative examples intermingled with some opinion, advice, and preference guides readers not only caringly through the book but will also take them calmly, logically, and thoughtfully through their proposals."
~Tiffany A. Moore Simas, MD, MPH, MEd, FACOG, Director, Research Division and Associate Director, Residency Program, Dept. of Ob/Gyn; Associate Professor of Ob/Gyn and Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Medical School/UMass Memorial Health Care