Surgeon General C. Everett Koop HIV /AIDS Research Grant
Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention
Indiana University
(www.indiana.edu/~aids)
-CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR 2012-2013 SCHOOL YEAR-
(deadline: June 1, 2012)
In 1986, U. S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, MD, completed a report on the growing AIDS epidemic. He urged the federal government to expand age-appropriate sexuality education for young people and to mount a publicity campaign about the importance of using condoms to prevent the transmission of HIV. Despite strong opposition, Dr. Koop moved forward with his widespread education plan. In 1988, he prepared the pamphlet, Understanding AIDS, and sent it to nearly every household in the United States. Those 107 million copies provided the U. S. population with plain-spoken, non-judgmental, and much needed answers about AIDS transmission and prevention. This pamphlet represented the federal government’s first and only effort to reach every resident with information regarding a serious health issue.
Because of his courageous efforts to educate the public about HIV/AIDS, Dr. Koop became one of the most revered and admired Surgeon Generals, receiving many awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and over 50 honorary doctorates. Certainly Dr. Koop is a widely admired legend and a “public health hero” to those committed to improving our nation’s health.
Dr. Koop’s efforts to educate the public about the transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS align with the mission of the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention (RCAP) at Indiana University. RCAP is headquartered at Indiana University (IU) and is a joint project of IU, University of Kentucky and University of Wyoming. RCAP, in partnership with those who admire and value him, has established the Surgeon General C. Everett Koop HIV/AIDS Research Grant, an endowed grant to support doctoral student research related to HIV/AIDS prevention in rural America. As an endowed grant, these grants will be awarded annually, for perpetuity, in an effort to encourage and support research by emerging investigators from a wide range of disciplines.
For the 2012-2013 school year, RCAP will award up to two $600 grants.
AWARD CRITERIA:
- Applicants must be registered as full time doctoral students at accredited universities in the United States.
- The proposed study must be pre-dissertation or dissertation research.
- 3. The focus of the proposed research must be on issues directly related to HIV/AIDS prevention in rural or low-prevalence areas in the United States. Proposals for research to be conducted in countries other than the U.S. will not be accepted.
- The study must be a new proposed study. Existing studies will not be considered.
APPLICATION PROCESS:
The following must be submitted in one email by June 1, 2012 to aids@indiana.edu. Place “Koop Grant” in the subject line.
- A proposal of not more than three pages which presents: proposed study title; applicant name, doctoral program and contact information; related literature and justification; significance to rural communities; methodology (e.g. data collection and sample); time-frame for conducting study; and plan for dissemination.
- A one-page budget and budget justification.
- Curriculum vitae (CV) of the applicant investigator.
- A letter of support from the student advisor or mentor.
AWARD STIPULATIONS:
- The results of the study must be submitted for publication in a referred journal and submitted for presentation at a professional conference.
- The researcher will provide updates each six months on the progress of the study including IRB authorization.
- Students receiving the research grant will be featured on the RCAP website (www.indiana.edu/~aids) with a photo and their research abstract and will be listed on an award plaque for the grant in the RCAP offices at Indiana University. Each recipient will be asked to write a note of appreciation to Dr. Koop or his family upon receiving the grant.
- Grant recipients may be asked to participate in RCAP activities such as webinars and conferences, monographs, and preparation of prevention-related materials for the RCAP-sponsored National Network of Rural HIV/STD Prevention Specialists.
Recipients of the research grants will be announced by mid-July, 2012.
All application material must be submitted in one email by June 1, 2012 to: aids@indiana.edu