What is the NIH Navigation Cohort?

The NIH Navigation Cohort is a proposal development program for Society of Family Planning members actively developing an R or K award application focused on a family planning topic in the US.

The goal of the program is to support Society members to develop NIH proposals and strengthen the important scientific exchange between family planning researchers and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Why is the program important?

The NIH is the nation’s medical research agency and is a critical source of support for health-related science, including family planning. According to NIH RePORTER, there were 739,679 grants funded between 2009 and 2018 representing $331,015,257,692 in research support; 0.3% of these grants were related to contraception or abortion representing $70,572,519 in research support.

Feedback from Society members highlighted our community’s need for guidance in navigating the NIH application process, as well as mentorship from family planning researchers with success in securing NIH funding. Since its inception in 2020, the majority of Cohort participants have gone on to submit their proposals to the NIH and many have had their proposals funded and/or discussed by reviewers. Further, Cohort alumni have increased their engagement with the NIH by serving as study section reviewers.

Please contact Grants@SocietyFP.org for more information, including future NIH Navigation Cohort offerings.

NIH-Funded Studies from NIH Navigation Cohort Participants

Developing and testing a smart phone based contraceptive use educational intervention for African immigrant women with low literacy
Kafuli Agbemenu, PhD, MPH, MSN, RN, CTN-A

Generating evidence to improve same day etonogestrel implant insertion for emergency contraception
Lori Gawron, MD, MPH

Advancing novel survey tools to increase participation and improve sexual and reproductive health data quality
Heidi Moseson Lidow, PhD, MPH

Developing and testing a measure of sociocultural norms related to interpregnancy intervals in African immigrants in the US
Comfort Olorunsaiye, PhD, MPH

Telehealth and Reproductive Health Equity
Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH