You Had Me at “Hello” Specific Aims Workshop Michael R. Blackburn, PhD Dean, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston John P. McGovern Distinguished Professor UTHealth, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Vice Chairman, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology The University of Texas Medical School at Houston Donald M. Dougherty, PhD Ethan A. Halm, MD, MPH 2013 Texas Regional CTSA Consortium Meeting November 15, 2013 – San Antonio, Texas The William & Marguerite Wurzbach Distinguished Professor Director, Neurobehavioral Research Division Deputy Chair for Research, Department of Psychiatry The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Professor of Internal Medicine and Clinical Sciences Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine Chief, Division of Outcomes and Health Services Research Director, Center for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” - Benjamin Franklin “Fortune favors the prepared mind.” - Louis Pasteur

Why is the Specific Aims page important? It will be read by all study section members It is your grant in microcosm First impressions can make or break the grant Opportunity for reader manipulation Influential in the assignment of reviewers

Outline of Specific Aims Page 1.Introductory Paragraph 2.Goals-Objective-Hypothesis Paragraph 3.Specific Aims Paragraph 4.Payoff/Impact Paragraph

Introductory Paragraph Set up the scenario - broad strokes to establish framework and significance What do we know? What don’t we know? (Gaps in knowledge) Why is this important? Why is this a problem? (address impact)

Goals Paragraph Set long term goals for this line of research - should match your level of training and expertise State the specific objective of application – should address the problems brought up in introductory paragraph Support/rationale – could include brief description of key finding Central hypothesis - may be multicomponent later on –Testable, falsifiable, specific Why you? Sell yourself, emphasize your unique qualifications and qualifications of the environment or collaborative team

Specific Aims Paragraph DO NOT BE DESCRIPTIVE 2-4 aims, less is more Question first, approach second. Don’t be driven by technique Hypotheses for each aim, some detail

Payoff/Impact Paragraph Convince them to fund this idea, now! Discuss outcomes of your work –multiple outcomes are ideal –do outcomes match input of resources? Impacts –if the outcomes are achieved, what are the impacts? –the impacts are major, because the topic is so SIGNIFICANT!

Graphic of Aims and Objective Consider including a figure on the first page of the specific aims Include images and text Use arrows, each representing an aim, pointing in toward to the main objective –Emphasizes that the aims are “related but not interdependent”

Specific Aims Pitfalls Lack of new, original, or innovative idea Fishing expedition, no clear direction Focus on method No relation to future research or public health Not measurable Incremental advancement in knowledge Not achievable in time available Poorly organized and written

Additional Pointers Start early and revise often – there are no excuses for mistakes on this page Keep your eye on the prize - everything you write has to work toward getting the grant funded Recognize your strengths and weaknesses in writing, and get appropriate help Develop you scientific ideas to capitalize on your strengths Know how your science fits into the current state of your field

Additional Pointers Cont. Learn how to receive and more importantly respond to reviewers critiques Be persistent, sometimes you have to wait your turn “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” - Babe Ruth