Have You Seen the Loan Repayment Program Recently? Here ’s What You Missed

As I reflect on the research training I received during and after medical school, I recall how lucky I was that I did not have much resulting debt and severe financial constraints that could interfere with my research career. Unfortunately, today’s aspiring physician scientists are often mired in debt. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that two-thirds of medical students graduate with debt, with 80% of those students owing at least $100,000. How can we alleviate the rising debt accrued during biomedical training for those investigators seeking a foothold in the lab? The NIH loan repayment programs (LRPs), managed inside the Office of Extramural Research, is one approach the NIH is utilizing to stabilize career trajectories for talented investigators. My predecessor, Dr. Sally Rockey, understood and also championed the impact of the LRPs, and I share her enthusiasm. Congress established the first NIH LRPs nearly a quarter century ago to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or behavioral research careers. If a researcher is awarded this opportunity and commits to studying diseases and conditions important to the NIH mission, the agency will repay up to $35,000 annually, over a two-year contract, towards their qualified educational debt. Individuals can also reapply for and receive LRP support if they continue conducting qualifying research and making significant strides in their career. As you can imagine, we are motiv...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - Category: Research Authors: Tags: blog Open Mike Award Programs loan repayment program LRP Source Type: funding