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Sunshine Education & Research Center

NIOSH Pilot Research Projects

The Sunshine Education and Research Center (ERC) supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) provides small seed grant funding to support pilot research projects in Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health each year.

The Pilot Project Research Training (PPRT) grant program is designed to increase research opportunities in the field of Occupational Health, Safety and Wellness (OHSW) for young investigators, or experienced investigators proposing innovative work. Projects should follow the annual solicitation themes and relate to one or more of the current National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) priority themes.

2021-2022 Solicitation

The Sunshine ERC is pleased to invite proposals for Pilot Project Research Training (PPRT) in the area of occupational health, safety and wellness (OHSW) for the period July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022. It is anticipated that seven projects with awards up to $15,000 each will be funded under this initiative.

While projects may focus on any areas of OHSW, in the 2021 cycle we encourage projects that:

  • relate to worker safety/health in the hospitality industry       
  • involve disaster, recovery and resilience    
  • relate to the NIOSH Total Worker Health framework   
  • has a collaboration with a Sunshine ERC investigator

Eligibility

Research trainees should be doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows (including Occupational Medicine residents), or full-time faculty at institutions within the Southeast Region. Faculty research trainees should not be above the rank of Assistant Professor or equivalent. Proposals that support a doctoral student or a postdoctoral fellow as the research trainee must have a faculty sponsor who will serve as a Co-Principal Investigator and will be responsible for the scientific and fiscal integrity of the project. The PI and Co-PI (faculty sponsor) are jointly responsible for submitting all reports in a timely manner. The faculty sponsor is expected to be credentialed by his/her institution to serve as chair of a doctoral dissertation committee.

Mentorship

All research trainees must receive mentorship for their project. Doctoral and postdoctoral trainees may be mentored by any member of their institution’s graduate faculty. Junior faculty research trainees must receive mentorship from a senior faculty member. The proposal should summarize the mentoring plan. An additional faculty mentor from the Sunshine ERC will be assigned to work with each project.

How to Apply

Please email completed application and budget with justification using the form in the link below, Biosketch forms, and a copy of your IRB or Exemption to Kelly Freedman kfreedm1@usf.edu no later than the deadline provided. Please note that these will all be awarded as fixed price contracts rather than cost reimbursable contracts.

  1. Application and Budget  
  2. Biosketch 
  3. Score Card (Evaluation Criteria used by selection committee)
  4. Send all applications and forms to Kelly Freedman kfreedm1@usf.edu

Deadlines

Call for Proposals: Open May 1, 2021 - July 30, 2021 
Applications Due: Application in full must be received no later than 5:00PM EST, Friday July 30, 2021
Applications Reviewed: Applicants should expect a response within 6 weeks of the application due date or by September 11th.
Brief mid-year Report date: February 1, 2022 Please use this form.
Final Report date: July 30, 2022

The final report must include the following sections:

  • A non-technical vignette of no more than 300 words regarding the funded research that can be disseminated to a broad audience of occupational health practitioners, policymakers, and general public. This statement should address what problem was evaluated, why this problem is important, what the research project showed, and what the practical relevance and ramifications of the research are.
  • Introduction/background    
  • Methods    
  • Results    
  • Discussion/Conclusions     
  • PPRT Goals
    • Description of how the program increased the trainee’s research expertise and capabilities
    • Plans for follow-up publications and grant applications
    • How the project enhanced diversity and addressed disparities 
    • How the project contributed to interdisciplinary / transdisciplinary research and practice
  • References    
  • Appendices (as necessary)
  • Photo(s) or other graphical material with text caption(s) which you will permit us to post on our website.
    • Chicas, R., Xiuhtecutli, N., Dickman, N. E., Flocks, J., Scammell, M. K., Steenland, K., Hertzberg, V., & McCauley, L. (2021). Cooling Interventions Among Agricultural Workers: Qualitative Field-Based Study. Hispanic health care international: the official journal of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, 1540415321993429. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/1540415321993429 
    • Chicas, R., Xiuhtecutli, N., Elon, L., Scammell, M. K., Steenland, K., Hertzberg, V., & McCauley, L. (2020). Cooling Interventions Among Agricultural Workers: A Pilot Study. Workplace health & safety, 2165079920976524. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/2165079920976524
    • Chicas, R., Xiuhtecutli, N., Dickman, N. E., Scammell, M. L., Steenland, K., Hertzberg, V. S., & McCauley, L. (2020). Cooling intervention studies among outdoor occupational groups: A review of the literature. American journal of industrial medicine, 63(11), 988–1007. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.23175
    • Chicas, R., Mix, J., Mac, V., Flocks, J., Dickman, N. E., Hertzberg, V., & McCauley, L. (2019). Chronic Kidney Disease Among Workers: A Review of the Literature. Workplace health & safety, 67(9), 481–490. https://doi.org/10.1177/2165079919843308
    • Houser, M. C., Mac, V., Smith, D. J., Chicas, R. C., Xiuhtecutli, N., Flocks, J. D., Elon, L., Tansey, M. G., Sands, J. M., McCauley, L., & Hertzberg, V. S. (2021). Inflammation-Related Factors Identified as Biomarkers of Dehydration and Subsequent Acute Kidney Injury in Agricultural Workers. Biological research for nursing, 10998004211016070. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10998004211016070
    • Thompson, L., M. Sugg, and J. Runkle, 2018: Report-back for geo-referenced environmental data: A case study on personal monitoring of temperature in outdoor workers. Geospatial Health, 13, 56-65. http://dx.doi.org/10.4081/gh.2018.629
    • Sugg, M. M., C. M. Fuhrmann, and J. D. Runkle, 2018: Temporal and spatial variation in personal ambient temperatures for outdoor working populations in the southeastern USA. International Journal of Biometeorology, 62, 1521-1534. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00484-018-1553-z
    • Sugg, M. M., S. S. Stevens, and J. D. Runkle, 2019: Estimating Personal Ambient Temperature in Moderately Cold Environments for Occupationally Exposed Populations. Environmental Research, 173, 497–507. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2019.03.066
    • Runkle, J., C. Cui, S. Stevens, C. Fuhrmann, and M. Sugg, 2019: Evaluation of Wearable Sensors for Physiologic Monitoring of Personal Heat Exposure in Outdoor Workers in Southeastern U.S. Environment International, 129, 229–238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.05.026
    • Sugg, M. M., C. M. Fuhrmann, and J. D. Runkle, 2020: Perceptions and experiences of outdoor occupational workers using digital devices for geospatial biometeorological monitoring. International Journal of Biometeorology, 64, 471–483. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00484-019-01833-8
    • Nelson, K. B., J. D. Runkle, and M. M. Sugg, 2020: Reporting back environmental health data among outdoor occupational workers in the cold season in North Carolina, USA. Southeastern Geographer, 60, 157–180.
    • Mackey, J. D., & Perrewé, P. L. (in press). The relationships between hindrance stressors, problem drinking, and somatic complaints at work. Group & Organization Management. doi: 10.1177/1059601117733900    
    • Mackey, J. D., McAllister, C. P., Brees, J. R., Huang, L., & Carson, J. E. (in press). Perceived organizational obstruction: A mediator that addresses source-target misalignment between abusive supervision and OCBs. Journal of Organizational Behavior. doi: 10.1002/job.2293
    • Sawhney, G., Sinclair, R. R., Cox, A. R., Munc, A., & Sliter, M. T. (in press). One climate or many: Examining the structural distinctiveness of safety, health, and stress prevention climate measures. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
    • C.D. Ashley, R.M. Lopez, X.P. Garzon-Villalba, and T.E. Bernard  (submitted) Thermal exposure limit for mine refuge alternatives: A descriptive study., Metallurgy & Exploration.
    • Martinko, M.J., Mackey, J.D., Harvey, P., Moss, S.E., McAllister, C.P., & Brees, J.R. (2018). An exploration of the role of subordinate affect in leader evaluations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 103(7), 738-752.
    • McAllister, C.P., & Perrewé, P.L. (In press). About to burst: How state self-regulation affects the enactment of bullying behaviors. Journal of Business Ethics.
    • McAllister, C.P., Mackey, J.D., & Perrewé, P.L. (2018). The role of self-regulation in the relationship between abusive supervision and job tension. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(4): 416-428.
    • Martinko, M.J., Mackey, J.D., Harvey, P., Moss, S.E., McAllister, C.P., & Brees, J.R. (2018). An exploration of the role of subordinate affect in leader evaluations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 103(7), 738-752.    McAllister, C.P., & Perrewé, P.L. (In press). About to burst: How state self-regulation affects the enactment of bullying behaviors. Journal of Business Ethics.  
    • McAllister, C.P., Mackey, J.D., & Perrewé, P.L. (2018). The role of self-regulation in the relationship between abusive supervision and job tension. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(4): 416-428.
    • Huangfu, R., Gallagher, S., Sesek, R., Schall, M., & Davis, G. (2018, August). Evaluating the Effectiveness of Estimating Cumulative Loading Using Linear Integration Method. In Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (pp. 283-288). Springer, Cham.
    • Garnett, Richard F., Davis, Gerard A., Richard F. Sesek, Sean Gallagher, Mark C. Schall Jr., Rong Huangfu Evaluating the OSHA hand speed constant for stamping press applications. Safety Science 107 (2018) 1–8
    • Roxana Chicas received both the Aguilar-Cuellar-Toben (ACT) PhD Dissertation Grant Award and the NIOSH NC OSH Education and Research Center Pilot Grant for her research topic: Targeted Heat-Adaptive Interventions for Florida Agricultural Workers: A Pilot Study.
    • Melissa Mitchell received doctoral award from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for $60,000 ($20,000 x 3 years) to study her topic: Grandchild Caregiving and Health: A Survey of Grandparents and Their Adult Children.
    • Charn McAllister received the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) Dissertation Grant to continue studies on: Self-Regulation and the Enactment of Bullying Behaviors.
    • Seulki Jang was awarded the APA Dissertation Research Award ($1,000) to further her research on: A Latent Profile Analysis of Benefactor and Beneficiary Organizational Citizenship Behaviors toward Individuals.

For Further Information

Cathy Silva      
(813) 974-0989      
guinto@usf.edu