From: Lovell Jones <hdearthesan@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, May 13, 2019 6:16 PM
To: Lovell Jones <lajones1249@gmail.com>
Subject: Mentoring Panel Discussion - NCFDD Webinar

I was invited to participate in mentoring panel discussion entitled "Navigating The Barrier to Getting Your STEM Grant Funded" presented by the National Center  for Faculty Development & Diversity.   The other Panelists included, Drs. Mary Harris, Richard Nakamura, Shirley Malcom and Manu Pratt.  I have attached the slide which provide their titles and present affiliation.

Participating provide me with an opportunity not only to present my thoughts to the membership of NCFDD who tuned into the discussion last week as well as having access to the recorded version, but to get updated on where we stand in terms of addressing the lack of diversity.  Unfortunately, as you ascertain from the tone of my voice, we still have a ways to go.  It also emphasized why HDEART C and the HDEART Health Equity Scholars & Alumni needs to continue long after I have passed from the scene.  It also emphasized the need for the Health Equity Scholars Archives, something Bill Jenkins, Victor Schoenbach and I discussed and tried to get started the year before Bill's passing.  It is amazing how much history is lost and we spend our time reinventing the wheel, defining the problem as opposed to implementing the solutions proposed decades ago.  This is not to say that new research is not needed; it truly is.  But the need for more diversity in science is greater now than ever.  For as I often say, who you are and your life experiences determine the solutions you bring to solving the problem.

Here is the link to the recording of the webinar (https://soundcloud.com/ncfdd/navigating-the-barriers-to-getting-your-stem-grant-funded/s-SvKBG).  Please listen to the entire recording.  Along with myself, Drs. Nakamura and Malcom were brutally honest about the system, but provide you ways of truly being successful with obtaining peer-reviewed support for your work.  One point I want to stress is how you can help yourself by applying to the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR) Early Reviewer Program.  The following is a link to the YouTube video on the program - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtKwYgiuh7M&hl=en_US&version=3.  One of the experiences that truly jump-started my career was to be exposed to the peer review system.  Early in my career, I was offered this opportunity by Dr. Frank Talamantes, one of my mentors.  I can tell you the workload was almost overwhelming for a young investigator, but truly worth it.  This Early Review Program offers you the opportunity to become a reviewer without the 4 year commitment.  I was also fortunate to have mentors (Howard Bern and Finn Siiteri) who provided me with the majority of the information provided during the panel discussion, including the bias I would face and how to try and overcome it.  One of the keys was to introduce me to the NIH Program Directors.  It was during my early years that I realized that not everyone was provided this information, especially those of color.

Finally, I am again requesting that if you know any one who is not a member of the network, please have them go to www.hdeartconsortium.org, click on the button in the left-hand corner and fill out the form.

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Lovell A. Jones, Ph.D., F.H.D.R

Adjunct Professor

Department of Health Promotion & Community Health Sciences

Texas A&M University School of Public Health (TAMSPH)

College Station, Texas

Research Faculty
College of Science & Engineering
Texas A&M University Corpus Christi
lovell.jones@tamucc.edu

Professor Emeritus
University of Texas Distinguished Teaching Professor
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Professor Emeritus
University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

http://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/dr-lovell-jones

OP ED WEB PAGE - http://stylemagazine.com/staff/dr-lovell-jones/