There are a number of prestigious and moderately competitive funding sources from NIH that can help to fund dissertation work. There are a number of things to keep in mind as you decide whether to apply for these:

ADVANTAGES

• Stipend support is better than most other sources (over $18,000 a year)
• Covers some training and data collection costs
• Covers travel and health insurance typically
• These are more and more becoming important CV builders for junior faculty positions

DISADVANTAGES

• These take a great deal of advance planning as funding typically takes 18-24 months (they are rarely ever funded on first try!) from submission and therefore may extend graduation
• They take a great deal of effort and preparation on both the applicant and mentor

TO APPLY

• Please visit http://www.grants.gov.
• You will need to decide which NIH institute is appropriate for you work.
• Consult your faculty mentor for assistance in strategically submitting proposals.