The JDD Podcast, Ask the Investigator, has released six episodes highlighting research tales from Pfizer Grant awardees. In each episode, Dr. Adam Friedman discusses the grant awardees journey. See below and listen to this podcast series supported by Pfizer. The JDD Podcast is available to stream and download on JDDonline.com, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.
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Aspiring Higher: Research Tales from Pfizer Grant Awardees – Jonathan Zippin, MD
- Jonathan Zippin, MD, PhD & Adam Friedman, MD, FAAD
- No one wants to be a one grant wonder. The mantra “grants beget grants” is true but there is more method to the madness to ensure continued success. Tune in to hear how Dr. Jonathan Zippin, Vice Chair of Research, Associate Attending Dermatologist and Associate Professor of Dermatology at Weill Medical College of Cornell approaches grant wins and losses, and ensures continued green to support the research machine. In this episode you will also hear,
- How to understand your audience. Take your science and put it in the context of those who are looking to support investigators.
- How to find the right home for your study and, later, your paper.
- When you are not funded, read the reviews. Not taking the reviews personally is essential to writing a better next grant.
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Aspiring Higher: Research Tales from Pfizer Grant Awardees – Shawn Kwatra, MD
- Shawn Kwatra, MD & Adam Friedman, MD, FAAD
- Being awarded a grant can seem insurmountable at times, with rejections and pink slips abound, but do not fret – you are not alone and we are itching to help. Tune in as Dr. Shawn Kwatra, up-and-coming prince of pruritus from Johns Hopkins Medical Center, discusses his trials and tribulations with grant writing and how he developed a winning track record, which includes a Pfizer research grant. Tune in to hear the what, why, and how of Dr. Kwatra’s work investigating the atopic march and how he has translated it to the bedside. In this episode you will also hear,
- How research works better the more detailed question you have.
- How to get your thoughts on paper. No matter the grant format, create an aims page with a paragraph of background that you can then bridge to your burning question and then to your hypothesis. Next, tailor it to your specific aims.
- How to take time to keep refining your aims page. Put it away and come back to it. Refine it and send it to others for feedback. You can even apply for grants simply to get a reviewer’s comments because doing so strengths your research question and plan.
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Aspiring Higher: Research Tales from Pfizer Grant Awardees – Dr. Natasha Atanaskova Mesinkovska
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Dr. Natasha Atanaskova Mesinkovska & Adam Friedman, MD, FAAD
- “Never give up, never surrender.” A goofy tagline from a relatively solid Tim Allen sci-fi movie entitled Galaxy Quest could not have more meaning in the grant world. Perseverance is a must. Collaboration is key. Join JDD podcast host Dr. Adam Friedman as he gets real with UCI Vice Chair of Clinical Research Dr. Natasha Atanaskova Mesinkovska about the trials and tribulations of grant writing. From where does she get her inspiration to submit projects fair left field from her normal day to day? You’ll have to give in to listening. In this episode you will also hear,
- How great research questions can come from patient interactions. Her popular research on collagen supplements originated from patients who asked if these supplements were effective. Researchers have to keep seeing patients.
- The importance of keeping your options varied and open. Her open mind has been her biggest blessing.
- How to knock on doors and ask for grants, especially if your topic isn’t one that’s commonly fundable. Keep trying – no one cares if you fail.
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Aspiring Higher: Research Tales from Pfizer Grant Awardees – Wendy Smith-Begolka
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Wendy Smith-Begolka & Adam Friedman, MD, FAAD
- Join JDD Podcast host Dr. Adam Friedman in a grant discussion with National Eczema Association (NEA) Vice President of Scientific and Clinical Affairs, Wendy Smith-Begolka. In this episode you will also hear,
- How to use active listening to understand what’s being said and not being said in the patient community, and turn that into an interesting research question.
- The importance of looking at who you could collaborate with in helping yourself best execute this work. Bring the right people in to the project both from within and outside your own team.
- The worth of obtaining preliminary data before seeking funding, if possible, as this helps the funder understand if the project could be successful.
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Aspiring Higher: Research Tales from Pfizer Grant Awardees – Amy Paller, MD
- Amy Paller, MD & Adam Friedman, MD, FAAD
- To those who say you can only learn from your own experience, we call bluff. Dr. Amy Paller, Chair of the Department of Dermatology, Director of the Skin Biology and Diseases Resource-Based Center, and the Walter J. Hamlin Professor of Dermatology at Northwestern, shares some of the most pragmatic, practical, poignant, and purposeful grant writing pearls to ensure future award success for those who tune in. In this episode you will also hear,
- How to play to your strengths. Collaborate with others who have complimentary expertise.
- The importance of paying attention to the approach. Make sure you think through all the steps including what could go wrong and how you could get around those issues through alternatives or going in another direction.
- If you receive a comment that something wasn’t included in your grant application when it was, simplify your application. Write more clearly or address that point more than once.
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Aspiring Higher: Research Tales from Pfizer Grant Awardees – Dr. Katrina Abuabara
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Katrina Abuabara, MD & Adam Friedman, MD, FAAD
- Join Dr. Katrina Abuabara, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Dermatology at UCSF, as she shares her research tale as a Pfizer grant awardee. In this episode you will also hear,
- How to make sure you have the resources to complete your research project including access to patients or the necessary data as well as the methodologists who can do data analyses.
- The worth of being tenacious about your idea. Keep your enthusiasm even if the process in obtaining a grant takes a long time.
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