Faculty Research & Travel Funding

Global Public Health Faculty Pilot Grant

Award Amount

Awards are for amounts up to $25,000. One award is available per academic year. Applicants must disclose all other funding sources or in-progress funding applications for this project when applying.

Application Deadline

Annually on February 1st

Eligibility

The principal investigator/applicant must be a primary faculty member in the UI College of Public Health, any rank or track. Faculty may apply for this award multiple times. Priority will be given to new applicants.

All eligible proposals must include arrangements for at least one College of Public Health student to be involved in the research process (any degree level). Student involvement may include any number of activities, including literature reviews, data collection/analysis, research administration, international travel, manuscript writing, etc. It is the prerogative of the PI to determine which students to hire and how best to utilize the student(s) in their proposed project.

Faculty interested in funding to bring a global partner to campus should visit our Visiting Scholars grant page for more details.

Faculty looking for smaller awards with the sole purpose of travel to establish research collaboration should consider our Supplemental Global Faculty Travel Awards.

How to Apply

Complete applications should be sent to cph-global@uiowa.edu. The proposal package should provide the following sections:

  1. Cover page (1 page): Include the title of the project, name and contact information for the principal investigators and any co-investigators, and a 250-word abstract.
  2. Project Description (1 page): Describe the aim and research methodology of the project, include a description of the expected outcomes and deliverables, and include an outline for student involvement. Briefly explain the relevance of the proposed work to the CPH mission.
  3. Project Justification (1/2 page): Describe future projects that may result from this research. Identify specific funding agencies you expect would accept such further research applications. Include future directions for your global collaborative partnership.
  4. Timeline of Research Activities (maximum 1/2 page)
  5. Budget and justification (maximum 1 page)
  6. NIH Biosketch or abbreviated CV (2 pages maximum) for US and Host Country Collaborators
  7. Letter of support from the host country collaborator
  8. References/bibliography

Allowable Expenses

Expenses that are eligible to be covered are those related to research essentials and international travel expenses. Eligible items include, but are not limited to:

  1. Travel expenses
  2. Research tools & needs
  3. Student compensation*
  4. Collaborator compensation

Faculty salary support is NOT an eligible expense, per donor intent.

*All eligible proposals are required to include arrangements for at least one College of Public Health student to be involved in the research process (any degree level). Student involvement may include any number of activities, including literature reviews, data collection/analysis, research administration, international travel, manuscript writing, etc. It is the prerogative of the PI to determine which student(s) to hire and how best to utilize the student(s) in their proposed project. This award can be used to cover student compensation (hourly/stipend), but may not be used for GRA tuition support. For GRA support, faculty are encouraged to contact their DEO about cost-sharing options.

Student research assistants who need to travel globally may also apply for the Global Public Health Student Travel Grant for additional travel funding.

Proposal Review

The application proposals are reviewed annually and must be submitted by February 1st. Applications should be sent to the Global Public Health Committee at cph-global@uiowa.edu.

All proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by the CPH Global Health Committee. Criteria for review will include, but are not limited to:

  1. Scientific merit, including originality
  2. Relevance to UI public health mission
  3. Likelihood of subsequent extramural funding
  4. Level of student involvement

Reporting Requirements

All grantees must provide a one-page mid-term report describing progress to-date, as well as what portion of the funds have been used and towards what activities.

A final report (maximum 5 pages) is due no later than 60 days following the project end date. The final report should include the following elements:

  1. Statement of aims and rationale for the project
  2. Description of the activities that were conducted and major findings
  3. A brief (5 or so sentences) description of the project suitable for a lay audience
  4. Publications, presentations or other dissemination activities (i.e. community meetings,  press release, policy brief, etc.)
  5. Summary of how funds were used
  6. Future direction of the project

Alternatively, faculty may choose to present their project to the Global Public Health Committee in lieu of a final written report.

Previous Grant Recipients

Rima Afifi (2022-23)

Beirut, Lebanon | 2024

Dr. Afifi received funding to assist in developing a CommCare project platform as part of a previously funded R34 planning grant titled Young Adults as Community Health Workers in Humanitarian Settings: A Pilot Test of the Mechanisms of Effect on their Own Wellbeing. Dr. Grant Brown, Biostatistics, is a co-investigator on the project.

Kelly Baker

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | 2024

Dr. Baker, supported by postdoctoral research scholar Dr. Fanta Gutema, has partnered with the College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture at Addis Ababa University to perform a feasibility study for investigating the impact of drought on food security, child health, and community resilience in Ethiopia.

Gideon Zamba

Kara, Togo | 2023

Dr. Zamba received funds to establish a partnership with the University of Kara Faculte des Sciences de la Santa (FSS). Over a two year period, Dr. Zamba plans to make multiple trips to Kara to conduct seminars introducing both faculty and students at FSS to statistical tools used in medical and health science research.

Brandi Janssen

Llubljana, Slovenia | 2022

Dr. Janssen traveled to Slovenia during the fall 2022 semester to collaborate with partners from the Scientific Research Centre of Slovenian Academy of Arts and Sciences. Their study is titled ” Managing Social Pressures and Personal Distress on Family Farms: Developing and Expanding Culturally Appropriate Approaches in Slovenia.”

Rima Afifi (2019-20)

Beirut, Lebanon | 2020

Dr. Afifi worked during the COVID-19 pandemic with partners in Beirut, Lebanon on a project titled “Extending Research on Mental Health and Substance Abuse in Lebanon.”

George Wehby

Bogota, Colombia | 2019

Dr. Wehby worked with partners at the National University of Colombia to examine the health status of infants born to Venezuelan parents living in Colombia as immigrants and refugees. This project hopes to shed light on disparities in maternal and infant health among refugee populations.

Will Story

Nairobi and Eldoret, Kenya | Summer 2019

This project, in partnership with Tangaza University College and Gynocare Women’s and Fistula Hospital, examining the sociocultural causes and public health implications of teenage pregnancy in Western Kenya.

Gideon Zamba, Edith Parker, and Peter Thorne

Lome, Togo | Summer 2018

A delegation of CPH Faculty received funding to attend a conference and meet with potential future collaborators in Lome, Togo. Meetings and discussions included researchers from a number of universities and NGOs representing Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, and Senegal.

Supplemental Global Faculty Travel Awards

A limited number of smaller awards are available to offset faculty travel expenses. These funds are for primary CPH faculty for the express purpose of traveling abroad to develop collaborative partnerships. These awards may NOT be used in conjunction with the Global Health Pilot Grant Award.

Eligibility: Applicant must be a College of Public Health primary faculty member. Proposed projects should seek to establish collaborations with new institutions or to help to strengthen an existing partnership, ideally with the prospect of involving new faculty and/or students.

Award Amount: Awards in amounts up to $2000 will be considered. All proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by the collegiate Global Public Health Committee on a rolling basis and subject to available funds.

Allowable expenses:

  • Airfare
  • Accommodations/housing
  • International insurance
  • Visa/passport needs
  • Per diem
  • Other travel-related expenses

Application Form for Supplemental Faculty Funding

Global Faculty Supplemental Award

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