National Institutes of Health Diversity Supplement Awards: Experience of Radiation Oncology Principal Investigators and Trainees

Numerous studies have noted the racial and ethnic disparities in research funding for investigators. Significant barriers exist for underrepresented in medicine (URiM) groups. A pivotal study in 2011 by Ginther et al, 1 Ginther DK Schaffer WT Schnell J et al. Race, ethnicity, and NIH research awards. Science. 2011; 333: 1015-1019 Crossref PubMed Scopus (625) Google Scholar examining funding and success rates for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Project Grant (R01), noted that Black or African American applicants were 13% less likely to receive funding than their White counterparts, and importantly, even in education, training, employer characteristics, research productivity, and other factors, Black applicants were 10% less likely to receive funding. Similar disparities are shown in more recent studies. For example, Hill et al reported that of all NIH R01 grants awarded in 2020, only 2% and 5% went to Black and Latinx scientists, respectively. 2 Hill KA Desai MM Chaudhry SI Nguyen M Boatright D. NIH Diversity Supplement awards by year and administering institute. JAMA. 2021; 326: 2427-2429 Crossref PubMed Scopus (5) Google Scholar Although it is challenging to identify the causal factors for these gaps, 3 National Institutes of Health (NIH). Racial disparities in NIH funding. Available at: https://diversity.nih.gov/building-evidence/racial-disparities-nih-funding. Accessed September 18, 2021. Google Scholar disparities in career development start to manifest earlier for URiM individuals but become more apparent by the postdoctoral stage, with fewer opportunities to earn higher academic rank, tenure, and funding, especially for those in the medical field. 4 Williams L Surratt H King V Kern P. The Disparities Researchers Equalizing Access for Minorities (DREAM) Scholars program: Career development for underrepresented health equity researchers. J Clin Transl Sci. 2021; 5: e170 Crossref PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar Thus, interventions to improve equity are particularly important at an early career stage.