NIH want to train Early Career Reviewers
July 22, 2011
This is fantastic.
…CSR is piloting a new program that we call the early career reviewer, where we will take complete novice reviewers, people who have not reviewed for NIH before, very early in their career, probably new investigators.
More thoughts on the matter from Your Humble Narrator and Prof-Like Substance.
DrugMonkey 
July 22, 2011 at 12:13 pm
My mental image for this headline involves a circus ringmaster with a whip in one hand and a bag of doritos in the other and new PIs in cages huddled over proposals.
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July 22, 2011 at 8:00 pm
I see nothing “fantastic” here. IMO the NIH institutional culture is rotten. This opinion is based on the comparison of the “products” of the respective panels within NSF and NIH. Some of my NSF grants were funded, more were not, but I NEVER EVER received a substandard critique from NSF. Conversely, wild nonsense in NIH Summary Statements is a norm. The basic pool of the reviewers is the same, so something else must be responsible for the difference, and I vote for the institutional culture and policies – the things NIH now wants to impose on the yet uncorrupted new reviewers.
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July 23, 2011 at 12:21 pm
Shorter Gruffi Gummi: “NSF has funded some of my grants, but NIH hasn’t. Therefore, NSF peer review is effective and NIH peer review is broken.”
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July 24, 2011 at 10:39 pm
As if someone pigging out at the NIH trough would complain. 🙂
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July 28, 2011 at 9:28 am
Now that Scarpa is out as head of CSR, this policy may soon evaporate (after the upcoming round of reviews, where the ‘baby reviewers’ have already been chosen for many study sections).
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July 28, 2011 at 11:55 am
RTR,
I would not be so pessimistic in projecting the future because Scarpa is leaving the CSR’s Directorship. Toni Scarpa has excelled in creating a “way of living and believing in the value (s) of peer review” that is likely to last.
His initial approach was one of openness (asking and re-asking what were the needs and the questions). Openness has evolved into active engagement of intra and extramural parties to discuss how to address the issues and why selecting/prioritizing some over others. Active engagement has resulted in decisiveness to move forward in a context of continuous evaluation and feedback.
It is the kind of framework very unlikely to go backwards. Why?
1. He has not done it alone, in the peaceful silence of his office with his immediate collaborators. He went to the town Square and said: “Hey guys, I need all of you to do more and better”.
2. It seems that his framework reflects very much that of science and scientific review and its management should not be designed and implemented in ways that are distant from what science is and behaves.
By living and believing in that framework, Toni Scarpa has awaken and discovered many “engagers”, who will very likely continue and improve his framework. His small or huge “work of art” for the community.
Wanderer, your footsteps are
the road, and nothing more;
wanderer, there is no road,
the road is made by walking.
By walking one makes the road,
and upon glancing behind
one sees the path
that never will be trod again.
Wanderer, there is no road–
Only wakes upon the sea.
(Antonio Machado, 1912)
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August 2, 2011 at 6:41 am
http://youtu.be/nUZz8zscHdQ
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August 4, 2011 at 9:09 am
Aux NIHs
Aux NIHs
Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit
Il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux NIHs
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August 9, 2011 at 12:54 pm
It seems as if CSR has launched a Program to Mentor and Engage Early Career Reviewers (CSR website). Worthy to look at and volunteering to participate.
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