Hopkins inHealth Request for Pilot Proposals

The mission of Hopkins inHealth is to support research that will, with increasing accuracy and precision, define, measure, and communicate each person’s unique health state and the trajectory along which it is changing, and to develop these discoveries into new methods that can be used to inform decision-making in clinical and public health practice. The goal of this individualization of health care is to reach a state of optimal health for every individual, achieved through a continuum of efforts that span health promotion, disease prevention, early detection, and effective intervention.

Hopkins inHealth is seeking proposals for pilot projects that will promote optimal health trajectory,treatment safety, and treatment efficacyfor individuals in several domains, including 1) the creation or identification ofnovel devices, platforms, technologies, analytics, or biomarkersthat will lead to more nuanced measurementsof health or disease status, 2) the development of novel quantitative methodologies that integrate data to better understand patient heath status, predict patient outcomes, and/or recommend treatment course, 3) the innovative incorporation ofscientific knowledge and individualized care into the clinical workflow, and 4) the research of ethical questions regarding consent and use of personaldata. The goal of the pilot project discovery program is to fund projects that can be implemented within Johns Hopkins as proof of concept before widespread implementation.

Pilot Project Criteria:

We seek to fund projects in any health or disease context that meet the following criteria:

  1. Individualizes healthcareby improving the characterization of health status,health trajectory, or the benefits and costs of interventions through achieving one or more of the following:
  2. Improves the assessment of an individual’s health or disease state and/or trajectory through novel measurement methodologies, devices, platforms or technologies;
  3. Devises a new quantitative methodology that improves the characterization of an individual’s disease state, predicts the likelihood of a health outcome,recommends the optimal treatment for an individual, or efficiently incorporates new knowledge into care delivery or public health practice;
  4. Determines ethical methods for gaining patient consent for use of health data in learning health systems;
  5. Evaluates the effects ofindividualized health care in defined populations;[1]
  1. Specifies a defined goal that the project will achieve by the end of funding month eight(see the “Eligibility and Award Information” section below);
  1. Stands ready to be refined orscaled up with involvement from Hopkins inHealth experts in novel measurements, longitudinal database design, novel analytics, bioethics, and dissemination models;
  1. Addresses health disparities, unmet medical needs, or diseases with high public health or economic burdens;
  1. Generates data, knowledge, software, or technologyfor the investigators touse in pursuit of additional research funding and to publish in the peer-reviewed literature;
  1. Builds or strengthens connections between existing Johns Hopkins entities (e.g., schools, centers, institutes), including the Johns Hopkins Health System and APL, and supports one or more of their strategic objectives (see JHM Priorities);
  1. Demonstrates potential to advance affordable healthcarefor individuals and populations.

Eligibility and Award Information:

Approximately eight applicants will be awarded $50,000 of funding for eight months as part of this pilot project discovery program. Projects on track to meet their defined goal withineight months[2] will be eligible to receive $25,000 for an additional four months, pending progress review. All projects will be required to submit a one-page final report.

Participation requirements include the presentation of project progress at a Hopkins inHealth seminar, implementation of the project at Johns Hopkins by the end of the funding cycle, and submission of an external funding application.

The engineering and consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton will sponsor one of the pilot projects. The pilot project criteria and scoring guidelines are the same for proposals considered for Booz Allen Hamilton funding as for proposals considered only for Johns Hopkins funding. See the Applications Materials section for more detail on how to be considered for funding by Booz Allen Hamilton.

PrincipalInvestigators (PIs) must befaculty members or research staff of the Johns Hopkins University, the Johns Hopkins Health System, or the Applied Physics Laboratory. We especially welcome proposals that include PIs and Co-PIs who are in the early stages oftheir careers.

Membership in Hopkins inHealth is an eligibility requirement for all Hopkins inHealth funding opportunities.It takes two minutes to become a member; visit apply. Members receive up-to-date information on individualized health news and grant opportunities; invitations to inHealth events; and access to a network to individuals engaged in cutting-edge individualized health research.Membership applications must be submitted by October 23rd to be eligible for this opportunity.

Hopkins inHealth Pilot RFP

Scoring Guidelines:

Proposals that meet the “Pilot Project Criteria” will be scored on the basis of:

1. Innovation: The project develops a novel device, platform, technology, methodology, or software that has the potential to transform clinical or public health practice.

2. Interdisciplinary Nature: The project draws on insight gained from multiple fields of expertise and will strengthen connections between two or more Johns Hopkins entities.

3. Breadth of Reach: The project has the potential to be disseminated on a national or broader scale.

4. Sustainability: The project will generate data or knowledge that can be used in the pursuit of additional funding from the federal government or private institutions.

5. Approach: The project’s strategy is well-reasoned, feasible, and supports one or more of JHM’s 6 Strategic Objectives.

6. Strength of PI and Research Team: The PI and the research team havethe ability to successfully conductthe proposed research and have appropriate institutional support.

Application Materials:

Proposals should include the following elements, in threepages or less:

1. Cover letter from the PI: This section should be written for a non-technical reader and should include the title and a brief summary ofthe projectgoals, expected contributions, and how the project meets the “Pilot Project Criteria.” To be considered for Booz Allen Hamilton funding, include the following statement in bold at the end of the cover letter: “I wish to be considered for funding by both Johns Hopkins and Booz Allen Hamilton.”

2. Specific Aims: This should be a succinct statement of the aims and anticipated outcomes ofthe proposal.

3. Significance: This should be a concise description of relevant background information and significance of the proposed project.

4. Approach: This includes the research design, measures, data analysis plan, and anypreliminary data. (Graphs and/or diagrams may be placed in an appendix and will not be counted towardsthe page limit.)

5. Budget and Budget Justification for Year 1 and Year 2: This should include PI and Co-PIeffort (whether funding is requested for this or not), other personnel, and equipment/materials/supplies. Faculty salary can be included, but funding for this will not exceed 20%effort. Use NIH budget forms PHS 398 (Form Page 4 and Page 5). Funding is expected to start inJanuary2016.(Limit to two pages; the budget and budget justification is not counted towards the overall page limit.)

6. Biographical Information: For PI(s), Co-PI(s), and other Key Personnel, submit a biosketch showing qualifications to successfully complete the proposed project. Use NIH PHS 398 biographical sketch format page (Limit to four pages per person; biographical information is not counted towards theoverall page limit.)

Application Deadline and Timeline for Review:

Applications are due no later than October 23, 2015 by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time and should be submitted as a single PDF document to . Evaluation of proposals will be carried out by a team of internalevaluators who are experts in data science, population health, and methodologies for measurement and analytics. Funding decisions are expected by December 15, 2015.

For scientific or administrative questions, send an email to Bahar Zarrabi at .

[1]Proposals that do not fall into these categories but have the potential to individualize health are welcome.

[2]Demonstrated in a one-page progress report due at the end of funding month 7.