The non-monetary benefits of grant submissions

100:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,860Welcome to the Clinician Researcher podcast, where academic clinicians learn the skills200:00:05,860 --> 00:00:11,260to build their own research program, whether or not they have a mentor.300:00:11,260 --> 00:00:17,340As clinicians, we spend a decade or more as trainees learning to take care of patients.400:00:17,340 --> 00:00:22,380When we finally start our careers, we want to build research programs, but then we find500:00:22,380 --> 00:00:27,780that our years of clinical training did not adequately prepare us to lead our research600:00:27,780 --> 00:00:29,200program.700:00:29,200 --> 00:00:35,480Through no fault of our own, we struggle to find mentors, and when we can't, we quit.800:00:35,480 --> 00:00:40,580However, clinicians hold the keys to the greatest research breakthroughs.900:00:40,580 --> 00:00:46,200For this reason, the Clinician Researcher podcast exists to give academic clinicians1000:00:46,200 --> 00:00:51,800the tools to build their own research program, whether or not they have a mentor.1100:00:51,800 --> 00:01:01,080Now introducing your host, Toyosi Onwuemene.1200:01:01,080 --> 00:01:05,040Welcome to the Clinician Researcher podcast.1300:01:05,040 --> 00:01:10,540I'm your host, Toyosi Onwuemene, and it is such a pleasure to be speaking with you today.1400:01:10,540 --> 00:01:17,680Thank you for tuning in and for listening to what I have to say today about grant writing.1500:01:17,680 --> 00:01:22,240So today I'm talking about why grant submissions are not always about the money.1600:01:22,240 --> 00:01:26,920Yep, I said it, grant submissions are not always about the money.1700:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,100And I hear you saying, what do you mean it's not always about the money?1800:01:30,100 --> 00:01:31,500I need money for my program.1900:01:31,500 --> 00:01:32,960You absolutely do.2000:01:32,960 --> 00:01:33,960I totally agree.2100:01:33,960 --> 00:01:37,440And the reason you're writing the grant is because you don't have enough money for your2200:01:37,440 --> 00:01:40,480program because if you did, you wouldn't be writing the grant.2300:01:40,480 --> 00:01:45,860So yes, grant writing is about money, but it's about more than just the money.2400:01:45,860 --> 00:01:50,700And so I'm here to talk to you about five reasons why you should write grants.2500:01:50,700 --> 00:01:54,480And I will tell you that when I first started writing grants, I only wrote it because I2600:01:54,480 --> 00:01:55,480had to.2700:01:55,480 --> 00:01:56,480I mean, I really need that.2800:01:56,480 --> 00:01:57,480I had to.2900:01:57,480 --> 00:01:58,480I was told to.3000:01:58,480 --> 00:02:00,480They were like, well, this is what you're supposed to do.3100:02:00,480 --> 00:02:05,040I was like, oh, sure, I'll do it.3200:02:05,040 --> 00:02:08,880Because for many of us, when we start writing grants, we're fellows, we're postdoctoral3300:02:08,880 --> 00:02:09,880fellows.3400:02:09,880 --> 00:02:12,320And to be honest, someone's going to pay us whether or not we submit grants.3500:02:12,320 --> 00:02:13,320So why bother?3600:02:13,320 --> 00:02:15,540Like, why do you have to do that?3700:02:15,540 --> 00:02:20,600And it's not until you become a faculty member, like leading your own research program where3800:02:20,600 --> 00:02:24,400you're like, yeah, kind of need the money so I can fund the program.3900:02:24,400 --> 00:02:28,120And then it becomes very clear why you should continue to submit grant proposals.4000:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,680But in the beginning, it's hard to get yourself to do it.4100:02:31,680 --> 00:02:34,520And because you're not necessarily, you don't necessarily need the money.4200:02:34,520 --> 00:02:38,120And sometimes, for those of us who are on career development awards, it's like, well,4300:02:38,120 --> 00:02:39,600I have a career development award.4400:02:39,600 --> 00:02:40,600My time is fully funded.4500:02:40,600 --> 00:02:42,160I don't need more money.4600:02:42,160 --> 00:02:43,480OK, yes.4700:02:43,480 --> 00:02:49,400So this is why you should continue to submit grants even when you do not need money.4800:02:49,400 --> 00:02:55,440So the first thing that submitting grant gives you that is not necessarily monetary is clarity4900:02:55,440 --> 00:02:58,800of purpose, clarity of purpose.5000:02:58,800 --> 00:02:59,800Here you are.5100:02:59,800 --> 00:03:01,480You have a research program.5200:03:01,480 --> 00:03:03,200You have a program of study.5300:03:03,200 --> 00:03:05,400And you have all these great ideas.5400:03:05,400 --> 00:03:08,080And they're swirling in your head.5500:03:08,080 --> 00:03:09,080And they're lovely.5600:03:09,080 --> 00:03:10,080You could do this.5700:03:10,080 --> 00:03:11,640You could do that.5800:03:11,640 --> 00:03:14,720Or maybe you could do this and that together.5900:03:14,720 --> 00:03:19,040They're so beautiful, except that they're not really concrete.6000:03:19,040 --> 00:03:21,120They're not really clear.6100:03:21,120 --> 00:03:27,600And what writing a grant proposal allows you to do is to commit to what you really want6200:03:27,600 --> 00:03:28,600to do.6300:03:28,600 --> 00:03:29,600Like, what is it?6400:03:29,600 --> 00:03:33,440Like, you know, there's this wishful thinking that's involved in all these great ideas.6500:03:33,440 --> 00:03:38,040But the moment you commit it to paper, and by paper, I mean the, you know, the document6600:03:38,040 --> 00:03:43,960on your screen, it really forces you to clarify what is fancy, what is whimsical, and what6700:03:43,960 --> 00:03:45,600is real.6800:03:45,600 --> 00:03:46,720And it forces you.6900:03:46,720 --> 00:03:52,040It forces you to be very clear on where you're going and why you should be going in that7000:03:52,040 --> 00:03:53,040direction.7100:03:53,040 --> 00:03:54,280I love it.7200:03:54,280 --> 00:03:59,480I love it because in a sense, it's like I have all these ideas, but they don't become7300:03:59,480 --> 00:04:03,180concrete until I commit them to paper.7400:04:03,180 --> 00:04:10,520And so writing a proposal forces you to clearly define your research goals.7500:04:10,520 --> 00:04:14,040It forces you to really commit.7600:04:14,040 --> 00:04:16,680It's like, okay, these are great ideas.7700:04:16,680 --> 00:04:18,920What do you really want to do?7800:04:18,920 --> 00:04:24,440And so writing a proposal allows you to really, in a sense, it gives you the accountability7900:04:24,440 --> 00:04:29,200because you've set it on paper, all of a sudden it's now real.8000:04:29,200 --> 00:04:30,880You put arms and legs to it.8100:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,520You say, well, this is the approach we're going to take.8200:04:33,520 --> 00:04:35,440These are the future directions.8300:04:35,440 --> 00:04:39,680It allows you to clearly, clearly define your research goals.8400:04:39,680 --> 00:04:42,160And it gives you focused direction.8500:04:42,160 --> 00:04:46,200Here's one thing that I've seen grant submissions do for me.8600:04:46,200 --> 00:04:52,940So the moment I commit it to paper, we start moving in that direction because it's so clear.8700:04:52,940 --> 00:04:54,240It's very clear what we're doing.8800:04:54,240 --> 00:04:57,160It's like, well, why wouldn't we move this project forward today?8900:04:57,160 --> 00:04:58,320Why wait until it starts?9000:04:58,320 --> 00:05:01,440It's funded like a year from now, maybe.9100:05:01,440 --> 00:05:06,000As long as you're able to do that, you do that because it's so clear.9200:05:06,000 --> 00:05:07,000It's a focused direction.9300:05:07,000 --> 00:05:11,060Why wouldn't I go in this direction today to the best of my ability?9400:05:11,060 --> 00:05:15,760And now you may not have as much money as you want to move in direction completely,9500:05:15,760 --> 00:05:20,560but at least you're able to start taking steps towards it because you've clearly defined9600:05:20,560 --> 00:05:21,560it.9700:05:21,560 --> 00:05:25,980So the first thing submitting grants gives you that is not necessarily about the money9800:05:25,980 --> 00:05:29,000is clarity of purpose.9900:05:29,000 --> 00:05:31,920The second thing it does is it allows you to plan.10000:05:31,920 --> 00:05:34,200I love it because here's the thing.10100:05:34,200 --> 00:05:39,520Again, it's kind of like your ideas are nice and they're cool and everything in your head.10200:05:39,520 --> 00:05:44,120And the moment you put them down on paper, you're like, no, that's not going to fly.10300:05:44,120 --> 00:05:48,040That idea, no, it's not going to fly because it's not practical.10400:05:48,040 --> 00:05:53,120In a sense, what it does is it allows you to bring the idea out of the pie in the sky10500:05:53,120 --> 00:06:00,800and put it in the ground and actually dig a hole for it and make space for it.10600:06:00,800 --> 00:06:03,640It forces you to really plan.10700:06:03,640 --> 00:06:08,480So in a sense, it gives you the opportunity to plan your project to say, okay, this is10800:06:08,480 --> 00:06:12,760what we'll do first and then we'll do this and then we'll do this and then we'll do that.10900:06:12,760 --> 00:06:18,000So what it gives you is a gift of a comprehensive project plan.11000:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,760It allows you to set timelines for yourself.11100:06:20,760 --> 00:06:25,200It allows you to be very clear about what methods you're going to use, why these methods11200:06:25,200 --> 00:06:27,760work, why you wouldn't use alternate methods.11300:06:27,760 --> 00:06:31,480If this method fails, what other methods you're going to employ.11400:06:31,480 --> 00:06:36,800It really allows you to improve your project management because you outline all that you're11500:06:36,800 --> 00:06:38,280going to do.11600:06:38,280 --> 00:06:42,480It literally is the, what is the word?11700:06:42,480 --> 00:06:43,720It's like your blueprint.11800:06:43,720 --> 00:06:46,560It's your blueprints for a building.11900:06:46,560 --> 00:06:50,400You can hand it over to someone and they say, okay, this is what you want to do.12000:06:50,400 --> 00:06:52,560We can execute your blueprint.12100:06:52,560 --> 00:06:58,120And it forces you to do that in a way that you wouldn't otherwise have done except that,12200:06:58,120 --> 00:07:02,640well, because you had to submit this proposal, you needed to clarify what that is.12300:07:02,640 --> 00:07:06,200And because of that, it's kind of like if you've ever heard people who talk about goal12400:07:06,200 --> 00:07:12,520setting and the importance of committing goals to paper, the importance of having an accountability12500:07:12,520 --> 00:07:15,400plan, grant writing is that.12600:07:15,400 --> 00:07:21,520It essentially allows you to commit to paper or to a document on your screen what you're12700:07:21,520 --> 00:07:23,120going to do.12800:07:23,120 --> 00:07:26,160And it increases the likelihood that you're actually going to be able to do it because12900:07:26,160 --> 00:07:29,800the plan is so clear, it's so concrete, why wouldn't you?13000:07:29,800 --> 00:07:33,080And so it really allows you to do project planning.13100:07:33,080 --> 00:07:37,400And so research planning is reason number two why you should write grants that are not13200:07:37,400 --> 00:07:39,440necessarily about the money.13300:07:39,440 --> 00:07:40,440Okay.13400:07:40,440 --> 00:07:47,040Number three is the fact that you've got to go read to write this grant.13500:07:47,040 --> 00:07:51,000You know, you're the expert, you know so much, you know, and the papers are coming out because,13600:07:51,000 --> 00:07:55,640you know, the table of contents for your favorite journals are always coming through your inbox13700:07:55,640 --> 00:08:02,160and you're going to meetings, you're learning all along the way, you have insight as to13800:08:02,160 --> 00:08:04,520what's going on in your field.13900:08:04,520 --> 00:08:10,200The moment you need to submit a proposal, you've got to really go read the literature,14000:08:10,200 --> 00:08:15,160especially with regard to how it integrates with the work that you're doing.14100:08:15,160 --> 00:08:16,400You have to go do it.14200:08:16,400 --> 00:08:17,400It's a discipline.14300:08:17,400 --> 00:08:20,000It's an exercise that you have to do.14400:08:20,000 --> 00:08:25,840And as you do it, you're deepening your understanding of the field, you are becoming an expert.14500:08:25,840 --> 00:08:26,840It's so awesome.14600:08:26,840 --> 00:08:31,440Okay, there's a kind of expert you are in your clinical space, but the moment you have14700:08:31,440 --> 00:08:36,040to go read the literature and you're like, oh, this is what this person, this is how14800:08:36,040 --> 00:08:41,000my work is in communication with the rest of the literature and these are the gaps in14900:08:41,000 --> 00:08:42,000literature.15000:08:42,000 --> 00:08:46,640Like you get to know that because you have to pull these things together and synthesize15100:08:46,640 --> 00:08:49,080them for the proposal.15200:08:49,080 --> 00:08:52,440And again, it's not as if you're not really doing that because as you're giving talks,15300:08:52,440 --> 00:08:57,960you're doing these things, but it really is a really focused strategy for you to say what15400:08:57,960 --> 00:09:04,200does the literature say relative to my idea, relative to my project plan.15500:09:04,200 --> 00:09:07,040And it really requires you to really know the literature.15600:09:07,040 --> 00:09:09,300Like you've got to understand it.15700:09:09,300 --> 00:09:12,160And so you really get to know a field that way.15800:09:12,160 --> 00:09:16,680And so one of the things that gives you is just the ability to really become the expert15900:09:16,680 --> 00:09:19,360because you're the one in the literature all the time.16000:09:19,360 --> 00:09:22,880And the more you're spending time submitting proposals, the more you're really thinking,16100:09:22,880 --> 00:09:25,920okay, what's new since the last proposal?16200:09:25,920 --> 00:09:31,760How does this new manuscript or new article integrate into what's already known or how16300:09:31,760 --> 00:09:35,040does it challenge what's an existing paradigm?16400:09:35,040 --> 00:09:40,920It's really a great intellectual space to really be able to learn so much because you're16500:09:40,920 --> 00:09:45,960writing the proposal that allows you to get a good, good, good deep understanding of the16600:09:45,960 --> 00:09:46,960literature.16700:09:46,960 --> 00:09:49,520So that's number three.16800:09:49,520 --> 00:09:55,600Number four is that it allows you to become a very, very critical thinker.16900:09:55,600 --> 00:09:59,640And by critical, I don't mean judgmental of your work, though that may be present too,17000:09:59,640 --> 00:10:05,840but it really allows you to think critically about your work in relation to the rest of17100:10:05,840 --> 00:10:08,120the work in the literature.17200:10:08,120 --> 00:10:13,680You are assessing your plan so many times, especially if you're submitting NIH projects.17300:10:13,680 --> 00:10:16,320You're needing to discuss what's the rigor of the prior research?17400:10:16,320 --> 00:10:18,600What's the rigor of your own research?17500:10:18,600 --> 00:10:23,200And so you critically looking at your own research plan, thinking about, okay, what17600:10:23,200 --> 00:10:25,480are the weaknesses in my approach?17700:10:25,480 --> 00:10:30,200How do we strengthen these gaps?17800:10:30,200 --> 00:10:32,320How do we close these gaps?17900:10:32,320 --> 00:10:36,640How do we identify weaknesses and adjust for these weaknesses?18000:10:36,640 --> 00:10:41,560How do we get other investigators who are stronger in a certain area to be part of this18100:10:41,560 --> 00:10:43,160research program?18200:10:43,160 --> 00:10:44,880You have to think through all of these.18300:10:44,880 --> 00:10:50,120And you're thinking all the time about the gaps in the field, but then also gaps in your18400:10:50,120 --> 00:10:54,260knowledge, gaps in your methodology, gaps in your investigator team.18500:10:54,260 --> 00:10:59,080And so you do that because you're trying to pull it together to make a comprehensive,18600:10:59,080 --> 00:11:01,480cohesive proposal.18700:11:01,480 --> 00:11:05,640You're trying to pull together a comprehensive, cohesive proposal, and you really have to18800:11:05,640 --> 00:11:11,280think critically about the literature, your research plan, your team of investigators,18900:11:11,280 --> 00:11:13,960whether you're going to be able to pull this off.19000:11:13,960 --> 00:11:15,360And it really is a beautiful thing.19100:11:15,360 --> 00:11:17,280I will tell you, it's so amazing.19200:11:17,280 --> 00:11:22,520When I'm writing proposals and there's a sense that, oh my gosh, I'm creating the future,19300:11:22,520 --> 00:11:25,580and it's not just a future where it's like wishful thinking.19400:11:25,580 --> 00:11:28,720It's really a future that's concretely based.19500:11:28,720 --> 00:11:32,780And to be able to do that, you've got to really think critically about all of the advantages19600:11:32,780 --> 00:11:39,280and the disadvantages of your approach and the benefits or the not so great things about19700:11:39,280 --> 00:11:40,920how you're moving the work forward.19800:11:40,920 --> 00:11:44,580I mean, it's just really, it's a beautiful space of critical thinking.19900:11:44,580 --> 00:11:49,680And so the gift you give to yourself each time you pull together a proposal is that20000:11:49,680 --> 00:11:52,400you become better at this critical thinking.20100:11:52,400 --> 00:11:54,400You become more creative.20200:11:54,400 --> 00:11:59,220You become more inventive, innovative, because you're really able to pull disparate things20300:11:59,220 --> 00:12:03,360together and make them into one cohesive whole.20400:12:03,360 --> 00:12:04,800It's really beautiful.20500:12:04,800 --> 00:12:06,320Okay.20600:12:06,320 --> 00:12:14,640Number five is that while you become a skilled communicator, yes, you do.20700:12:14,640 --> 00:12:19,000Because when we're writing, we're writing these grants, they're complex ideas.20800:12:19,000 --> 00:12:23,280Like none of us is working in a field that's so simple because it was so simple.20900:12:23,280 --> 00:12:27,920You would have solved all the problems anyway, and then you would have nothing to do.21000:12:27,920 --> 00:12:35,160But you are really pulling together a complex research proposal, and you're needing to simplify21100:12:35,160 --> 00:12:37,040it.21200:12:37,040 --> 00:12:43,600You're needing to simplify it for your audience and be very clear and be persuasive.21300:12:43,600 --> 00:12:47,260And to be able to do that, you've really got to become a skilled communicator.21400:12:47,260 --> 00:12:49,520So it doesn't matter where you start from.21500:12:49,520 --> 00:12:52,960I mean, I thought I was a great writer before I started writing grants, but I know I've21600:12:52,960 --> 00:12:54,720gotten so much better.21700:12:54,720 --> 00:12:59,560And part of my pursuit of writing grants more excellently is that I've gone out and gotten21800:12:59,560 --> 00:13:01,280coaching for my writing.21900:13:01,280 --> 00:13:06,800Yes, I've paid to sit down with a writing expert so he can assess my writing and say,22000:13:06,800 --> 00:13:08,900wow, these are the gaps in your writing.22100:13:08,900 --> 00:13:11,640And so my communication skills are getting better.22200:13:11,640 --> 00:13:17,880I'm able to more clearly articulate what I want, where I'm going, how I'm going to get22300:13:17,880 --> 00:13:21,400there because I'm always writing these proposals all the time.22400:13:21,400 --> 00:13:23,840And so really you strengthen your communication skills.22500:13:23,840 --> 00:13:29,020And one thing you also do, you don't just strengthen your writing skills, you also strengthen22600:13:29,020 --> 00:13:35,200your communication skills verbally, because what you're really doing is helping to strengthen22700:13:35,200 --> 00:13:37,700your communication thought pattern.22800:13:37,700 --> 00:13:38,960That's what you're doing.22900:13:38,960 --> 00:13:44,560And so yes, you're able to bring your communication thought pattern and immerse it in your writing23000:13:44,560 --> 00:13:47,880because that's primarily what you're doing when you're submitting these proposals.23100:13:47,880 --> 00:13:51,040But the more you're thinking critically about your research, the more you're kind of pulling23200:13:51,040 --> 00:13:57,200these disparate ideas together and creating a cohesive whole, the better a thinker you're23300:13:57,200 --> 00:14:01,680becoming and so that more clearly you're able to communicate about your science.23400:14:01,680 --> 00:14:04,120The more clearly you're able to communicate the research.23500:14:04,120 --> 00:14:10,400When you go to pull together a talk, you can communicate more clearly because of the work23600:14:10,400 --> 00:14:15,600you've already been doing as you've been pulling together the literature to write a very clear23700:14:15,600 --> 00:14:17,920and compelling and concise grant.23800:14:17,920 --> 00:14:21,840So yes, your communication skills increase and you know what, you're always writing other23900:14:21,840 --> 00:14:22,920things.24000:14:22,920 --> 00:14:27,920Your communication skills increase in other things that you're writing or speaking about24100:14:27,920 --> 00:14:28,920as well.24200:14:28,920 --> 00:14:34,800And now kind of the side effects too are that you know your typing skills get faster or24300:14:34,800 --> 00:14:37,500maybe you're good at dictating your thoughts.24400:14:37,500 --> 00:14:40,040Your ability to do that gets faster.24500:14:40,040 --> 00:14:44,360So you become a sharper, more focused, more skilled communicator.24600:14:44,360 --> 00:14:49,920Okay, those are five reasons why grant submissions are not always about the money.24700:14:49,920 --> 00:14:53,440And so five reasons why you should write grants even if it doesn't get you money.24800:14:53,440 --> 00:14:55,200You get clarity of purpose.24900:14:55,200 --> 00:14:56,200That's number one.25000:14:56,200 --> 00:15:00,200Number two, it allows you to be a great research planner or project planner.25100:15:00,200 --> 00:15:02,360Number three, you're in touch with the literature.25200:15:02,360 --> 00:15:07,480You really get to build your expertise because you're the one pulling these things together.25300:15:07,480 --> 00:15:10,600Number four, you become a really amazing critical thinker.25400:15:10,600 --> 00:15:15,200Number five, your communication skills are sharper and more focused.25500:15:15,200 --> 00:15:19,000All right, these are reasons to continually submit grants.25600:15:19,000 --> 00:15:21,160Don't let the grant writing scare you.25700:15:21,160 --> 00:15:25,480And if you need a coach to help pull you through, I would love to be your coach.25800:15:25,480 --> 00:15:27,160Reach out to me by direct message.25900:15:27,160 --> 00:15:28,520I'm at Facebook.26000:15:28,520 --> 00:15:32,960I'm on Facebook and I'm also on Instagram and on LinkedIn as well.26100:15:32,960 --> 00:15:36,920All right, please share this with someone else who's like despairing and saying, why26200:15:36,920 --> 00:15:40,480do I continue to write grants that don't get funded?26300:15:40,480 --> 00:15:44,520Tell them, ha, even if you don't get the money, you're getting so much out of it.26400:15:44,520 --> 00:15:46,760All right, share this episode with them, please.26500:15:46,760 --> 00:15:49,160It has been a pleasure talking with you today.26600:15:49,160 --> 00:16:01,160I look forward to talking with you again the next time.26700:16:01,160 --> 00:16:06,520Thanks for listening to this episode of the Clinician Researcher podcast, where academic26800:16:06,520 --> 00:16:11,880clinicians learn the skills to build their own research program, whether or not they26900:16:11,880 --> 00:16:13,320have a mentor.27000:16:13,320 --> 00:16:18,960If you found the information in this episode to be helpful, don't keep it all to yourself.27100:16:18,960 --> 00:16:21,160Someone else needs to hear it.27200:16:21,160 --> 00:16:25,200So take a minute right now and share it.27300:16:25,200 --> 00:16:30,680As you share this episode, you become part of our mission to help launch a new generation27400:16:30,680 --> 00:16:50,720of clinician researchers who make transformative discoveries that change the way we do healthcare.