Faculty Resources

All VUMC's Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) is the central 'hub' for all grant-funded work at VUMC, and has a wealth of resources, from boilerplate proposal text to various guidelines for each funder. OSP is the department responsible for reviewing and approving all packets submitted for funding. Roddy Smith is our Grants Manager for all submissions coming out of the Department.

CLICK HERE to view/download a helpful overview and timeline.

Step 1: You have an idea for a grant or project. Now, let's help you look for funding. Here are resources to get your draft proposal started:

Awesome, you have a great idea for a proposal to a potential funder. But before submitting a proposal to a prospective funder, you'll need to identify a prospective funder and begin preparing your submission. 

Many of our faculty work with federal agency funders, as well as private foundations and other NGO's who support their work. 

Step 2: You have identified a potential funder and are assembling your packet for funding or application. What now?

OSP can assist and should help guide PI's through the application, early in the process. Here is a helpful starting point, offered by OSP. Internally, the HP Research Admin team and other faculty can be even more helpful in their guidance through your preparation. 

NOTE: The recommended timeline below is a general outline of steps necessary to keep your submission on the proper track. Submissions to federal agencies (R01, K01, etc.) should be adapted to fit the requirments of that particular proposal. In many cases, that will require an additional 90 days or more to properly prepare your submission packet.

Grant-Writing Tools:

Need an eRA Commons Account? OSP can help!

• Office of Sponsored Programs Training and Checklists
• VUMC Grant-ready Text Sections
• VUMC BioRender Institutional License
• StarBRITE: Additional tools for Grant Writing
• BioVU: DNA Databank
• REDCap: Research Electronic Data Capture
• Vanderbilt University Library: Tennessee and US Census Resources
• VICTR Grant Review Studios:  A panel of experienced faculty available to critically review grants and provide feedback and suggestions to improve the chances of  funding
• VUMC Eskind Biomedical Library
• The Edge for Scholars at Vanderbilt

Other grant writing tools and resources

• HHS Office of Extramural Research
• Center for Scientific Review (CSR) resources
• NIH Grant-writing Tip Sheet
• NIH Scientific Review Group (SRG) Roster Index

Many federal centers and agencies maintain useful grant-writing resource pages:

• NCI: Preparing Grant Applications
• NIAID: All About Grants
• NIDDK: Grants, the Basics: Application, Review and Award
• NINDS: How to Write a Research Project Grant Application
• NSF: Funding - How to Prepare Your Proposal

Department Overview - Boilerplate Text (last updated Jan. 2024)

The Department maintains a general department overview often used in funding submissions. Some applications may require different versions or information, so please double check the funder's requirements to ensure this text meets the funder's requirements.

Vanderbilt University's Department of Health Policy comprises a broad and diverse group of faculty and staff conducting world-class research that develops and informs health policy solutions profoundly impacting numerous areas of local, national, and global public health.

The Department of Health Policy was formally established at Vanderbilt University in 2013 and currently has 22 full-time faculty supported by more than 60 full-time staff members employed through Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 

The combination of a major research university and preeminent medical center provides Department faculty with unique opportunities to build relationships with both frontline care providers and policymakers which have led to breakthrough discoveries.  The Department also has a long history of strong collaborative relationships with the Tennessee Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, various national foundations, and local, state, national and global policy makers to develop health policy solutions for our pressing health care challenges.

The Department offers two graduate-level degrees, an MPH degree, including 3 specific tracks of study — Epidemiology, Global Health, and Health Policy. The Department also offers a PhD program in Health Policy & Health Services Research (STEM-certified) which supports students with full funding support for their training. Department faculty teach multiple courses in these programs and the Medical School curricula, and serve as mentors and advisers to students, fellows, and junior faculty throughout the University and Medical Center.

Teaching/Education Funds

Faculty often receive funds for contributing effort and time to for academic programs. These funds are transferred to each faculty member's teaching funds (CC01141/PG000405/Faculty Assignee #). These funds can be used to support teaching, education, and research expenses (eg. effort, salary, books, software, computers, staff effort, etc.). Faculty should consider spending these funds before spending other Departmental funds. These funds MUST be spent before the end of the fiscal year, and spending can not exceed the funding received for that fiscal year. Carry-forward of these funds is not allowed. 

Academic Program Support (APS) Funds

APS funds are a component of the Department's fiscal budget, and included in faculty offer letters.  These funds are provided in alignment with the institution's fiscal budget cycle, and allocated to each faculty member based on what they budgeted. (CC01145/PG000404/Faculty Assignee #) These funds can be used to support faculty and their research, including faculty effort, staff effort, core fees, data, travel, publication fees, etc. APS spending should be monitored regularly, and if additional funds are needed faculty should discuss with the Department Chair. 

Note: If you are in need of a Teaching and Education Fund or an APS Fund, please email hpresearchadmin@vumc.org.