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Gary S. Gilkeson, MD Career Development Award

Lupus Foundation of America

Purpose: To facilitate the professional career development of rheumatology, nephrology, and dermatology fellows as well as postdoctoral fellows who are conducting lupus research in the U.S. and Canada. Applicants should be dedicated to developing a career as an independent scientist at an academic, medical, or research institution with a primary focus on lupus investigation.

About the Gary S. Gilkeson Career Development Award

The Lupus Foundation of America’s Gary S. Gilkeson Career Development Award facilitates the professional development of current fellows (any year), clinicians up to two years post- fellowship and/or within four years of postdoctoral research in nephrology, rheumatology, or dermatology, in the U.S. or Canada. Their work should focus on the investigation of basic, clinical, translational, behavioral, or epidemiological lupus research.

Funding Opportunity

The Gary S. Gilkeson Career Development Award will provide two grant awards of up to $140,000.00 each over the two-year grant period. Grants will be awarded based on the availability of funds and will be paid to the applicant’s institution. Awardees’ institutions will receive $70,000.00 for the first year of the grant. After the first year, funding may be renewed for a second year for up to $70,000.00. Renewal of grant funding is dependent upon the grantees’ progress toward their project goals, and submission of a lupus-specific abstract based on the LFA-funded research.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Explicit, Central Focus on Lupus (SLE)

The single strongest predictor is a proposal that directly advances lupus research, including:

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) mechanisms

Lupus nephritis

Neuropsychiatric lupus

Pediatric/juvenile lupus

Autoantibodies, B-cell & T-cell dysregulation

Innate immune activation, interferon signatures

Biomarker discovery (blood, urine, imaging)

Clinical trials, outcomes research

Lupus flares, disease prediction

Fatigue, quality of life, adherence

❗ Generic autoimmunity proposals score poorly unless strongly tied to lupus biology or lupus patients.

2. Fit to the Correct LFA Mechanism

Different LFA funding lines have different expectations:

🔹 Gina M. Finzi Memorial Fellowship

For trainees and early-career researchers

Emphasizes mentoring + scientific potential

Requires feasible, compact projects (1 year)

🔹 LFA Research Grants (Pilot → Mid-Scale)

For early- to mid-career PIs

Requires strong preliminary data

Focus on novel lupus mechanisms or biomarkers

🔹 LFA-Funded Clinical / Biomarker Consortia

Support translational or clinical-type studies

Require strong clinical access and collaboration

🔹 LFA Special Calls (e.g., pediatric lupus, LN biomarkers, disparities)

Require tight alignment with the specific topic

Predictor: Match your career stage, research maturity, and topic precisely to the mechanism.

3. High Innovation + Strong Clinical or Scientific Impact

LFA prioritizes research that can produce meaningful change in lupus care:

New biomarkers for early detection or flare prediction

Therapeutic targets (B cells, T cells, interferon pathways, complement)

Novel therapeutics or mechanisms of drug resistance

Precision medicine approaches

Multi-omics for lupus heterogeneity

Real-world impact on lupus outcomes, disparities, fatigue

Predictor: Clearly articulate why this will matter clinically for lupus patients.

4. Strong Preliminary Data

Even for early-career awards, successful applications typically provide:

Proof-of-concept experiments

Feasibility reports (assay working, cell lines, animal models)

Pilot data from lupus patients

Early biomarker signals

Predictor: Strong preliminary data greatly increases reviewer confidence.

5. Patient Sample Access or Relevant Models

LFA highly values clinically relevant lupus biology:

SLE patient samples (blood, urine, tissue)

Lupus nephritis kidney tissue

Reliable lupus mouse models (MRL/lpr, NZB/NZW F1)

Single-cell or bulk transcriptomics from lupus cohorts

Predictive computational models validated in real data

Predictor: Access to human lupus samples or well-validated models is crucial.

6. Clear, Feasible, Milestone-Based Aims

Most LFA grants are short-term (1–2 years), so strong proposals include:

2–3 focused Aims

Defined readouts (cytokines, autoantibodies, imaging, biomarkers)

Milestones with go/no-go criteria

Realistic timeline for a small award

Path to next-step NIH or foundation funding

Predictor: Tightly scoped, feasible Aims score highest.

7. Strong Mentorship (Critical for the Finzi Fellowship)

For trainees and early-stage investigators, success correlates heavily with:

A mentor deeply experienced in lupus research

Strong training plan

Regular meetings and oversight

Access to lupus clinics, cohorts, biobanks, animal models

A track record of mentor-funded trainees

Predictor: The mentor’s quality is one of the top scoring criteria for trainee mechanisms.

8. Clear Relevance to LFA Strategic Priorities

LFA is especially focused on:

Improving lupus diagnosis and flare prediction

Reducing disparities in diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes

Pediatric lupus (often severe and under-studied)

Lupus nephritis (biomarkers, treatment optimization)

Fatigue and quality of life

Treatment optimization and clinical effectiveness

Predictor: Direct alignment with these priority areas significantly strengthens an application.

9. High-Quality Writing & Scientific Rigor

Top-scoring LFA proposals are:

Very clearly written

Well-organized

Supported by compelling preliminary data figures

Explicit about potential pitfalls & alternatives

Strong in biostatistics and reproducibility plans

Easy for both clinical and basic reviewers to understand

Predictor: Strong writing substantially increases reviewer enthusiasm.

10. Path to Future Lupus Funding

LFA favors projects that can lead to:

NIH R21/R01/K-level applications

Clinical trial development

Biomarker qualification

Translational pipelines

Future patient-impact programs

Predictor: Show how the LFA grant propels your next major step.

🏆 Summary Table — LFA Success Predictors

Predictor	Why It Matters
Lupus/SLE-specific focus	Core mission requirement
Mechanism alignment	Ensures appropriate expectations
Innovation + impact	Major scoring factor
Preliminary data	Shows feasibility
Human samples/models	Strengthens relevance
Focused Specific Aims	Fits 1–2 year timelines
Strong mentorship	Essential for early-career awards
Alignment with LFA priorities	Improves competitiveness
Strong writing & rigor	Improves reviewer scoring
Future funding pathway	Fits LFA’s “catalytic” philosophy

Specialties

Dermatology

Rheumatology

Nephrology

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must:

 Hold an MD or PhD (or equivalent) from an accredited institution

 Be a citizen or legal resident of the U.S. or Canada at the time of application

 Be a clinical fellow (any year) or up to two years post-clinical fellowship in an adult or childhood fellowship program in rheumatology, nephrology, or dermatology that is accredited by either the American Council on Graduate Medical Education (in the U.S.) or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (in Canada) with documented history of conducting lupus research or;

 Be a postdoctoral fellow doing lupus-related research with ≥ 2 years and ≤ 4 years of mentored, non-independent research training experience after the terminal non-medical doctorate at the time of application

Exclusion Criteria:

Applicants who currently receive or have previously been awarded any of the following awards (or similar) are ineligible to apply:

 A mentored award (such as a K award) or NIH research grant (such as an RO1, RO3, R21, PO1, P50, or any similar award)

 Veteran’s Administration Career Development Award

 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Rheumatology Research Foundation (RRF) Rheumatology Scientist Development Award

 ACR RRF Rheumatology Investigator Award

 ACR RRF Career Development Bridge Funding Award

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Lupus Foundation of America

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 2121 K Street NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20037

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