These instructions are for VUMC investigators. VU investigators should apply through InfoReady and address any questions to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.
VUMC may submit one application to the CDC Building Mathematical Modeling Workforce Capacity to Support Infectious Disease and Healthcare Research.
This NOFO is intended to support pre-doctoral fellows’ innovative research to develop and apply computational tools and mathematical methods for modeling the spread of pathogens in healthcare settings (e.g., SARS-CoV-2, healthcare-associated infections [HAIs], antimicrobial resistant organisms [AROs]). The overall goal is to increase the number of junior modeling professionals, thereby, enhancing the modeling research capabilities of the public health workforce to conduct infectious disease and HAI research.
Awardees will use existing or simulated datasets, as well as real-time information, to conduct analyses and build computational models relevant to the research goals described in the objectives/outcomes section of the NOFO.
Research areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
- HAIs with substantial burden and/or clinical significance (e.g., Candida auris, Clostridioides difficile, Enterobacteriaceae, resistant Acinetobacter species, resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, SARS-CoV-2, and Staphylococcus aureus)
- Research resulting in evidence that allows clinicians, public health officials, and/or policymakers to:
- Gain a significantly better understanding of the burden of HAI pathogens.
- Identify new risk factors and mechanisms for the spread of HAI pathogens.
- Rank and prioritize the delivery of specific interventions that are most effective in combating HAIs and/or antimicrobial resistant HAIs.
- Identify high priority research questions relevant to estimating the burden of disease.
- Identify key risk factors for transmission, determining if there are groups of people that have a disproportionate role in transmission, and/or intervening effectively to eliminate HAIs.
- Build HAI and antimicrobial resistant HAI modeling capacity for responding to emerging public health threats.
Applications should focus on training pre-doctoral students to independently conduct HAI modeling research focused on at least three of the listed thematic areas:
- Antimicrobial Resistance, Connectedness of Patients Within and/or Among Healthcare Facilities, Economic Modeling, Genomics, Health Equity, Nursing Homes, Outbreak Response, Simulations of Epidemiologic Studies, Systems Approaches, and Zoonotics
Anticipated Awards: This is a three-year award with estimated funding up to $300,000 per year.
Note: Applications may include multiple PDs/PIs, and if so, will need to include a Leadership Plan that describes the roles, responsibilities, and the working relationship of the identified PD/PIs. Only one PD/PI may be the primary CDC contact for the award, and this must be clearly indicated in the application
See the full announcement for more information.
Internal Application Process:
Anyone interested in being considered as VUMC’s sole applicant must submit the following (in a single PDF) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5 p.m. on March 31, 2022:
- Brief (2 page maximum) project description including summary budget
- Brief statement of support from department chair/center director
- NIH Biosketch or Brief CV of primary PI (5 page max)
Any questions about this opportunity may be directed to LSO@vanderbilt.edu.