Do AAO-HNSF CORE Grants Predict Future NIH Funding Success?

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Medical Research Funding
• Academic Medicine

Background:

• The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) offers Centralized Otolaryngology Research Efforts (CORE) grants to support academic otolaryngologists.
• Understanding the impact of such foundational grants on subsequent career development and research productivity is crucial for optimizing research training programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if prior receipt of an AAO-HNSF CORE grant influences the likelihood of securing National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding.
• To compare the association of CORE grants versus NIH Career Development (K) awards with scholarly impact in academic otolaryngology.

Main Methods:

• A historical cohort study design was employed.
• Scholarly impact metrics (h-index, publication history, prior grants) were assessed for CORE-funded and non-CORE-funded otolaryngologists.
• NIH funding history was systematically evaluated for all participants.

Main Results:

• 39.6% of CORE-funded otolaryngologists (n=192) had NIH funding compared to 15.1% of non-CORE-funded faculty (n=1002) (P < .0001).
• CORE-funded individuals were more likely to receive NIH K-series and R-series grants (P < .05).
• NIH K-grant recipients exhibited higher h-indices (12.6) than CORE recipients (7.1) (P < .01), a difference sustained among junior faculty after controlling for rank and experience.

Conclusions:

• Prior AAO-HNSF CORE funding is associated with a higher likelihood of obtaining NIH funding, suggesting the CORE program effectively prepares researchers for NIH review.
• NIH K-grant recipients demonstrated greater research productivity and scholarly impact compared to those with CORE funding.
• Both CORE grants and NIH K-awards serve as valuable career development resources for academic otolaryngologists, contributing to enhanced scholarly output.