NIH Loan Repayment Program

Dear Colleague:

I take this opportunity to remind you that the NIH has extended Loan Repayment Program eligibility to health professionals funded by nonprofit sources and non-NIH grants who are pursuing careers in the field of clinical, pediatric or health disparities research.

This is a significant change from the first year of the LRP, when specific NIH grants were required for the submission of an application. The availability of loan repayment has the potential to ensure the recruitment and retention of highly qualified health professionals to our country's next generation of biomedical researchers, especially clinical investigators.

I ask that you share information about the NIH Loan Repayment Programs with the investigators and laboratories funded by your organization and with the other research-oriented non-profit organizations in your field. It is important to publish this information as soon as possible since the current application cycle opens September 1 and closes December 31, 2003.

As you may recall, the NIH Loan Repayment Programs can offer repayment of up to $35,000 per year of qualified educational loan debt and cover the tax liability of the loan payments.

Complete program information and online applications are available at the NIH Loan Repayment Programs Website.

Thank you, in advance, for helping to disseminate information on the NIH Loan Repayment Programs.

Sincerely,

Ruth L. Kirschstein, MD
Senior Advisor to the Director, NIH