Resources for Researchers

Welcome to the American Tinnitus Association's Researcher Resource page.
Here you will find the latest research funding announcements, information about the results of ATA's advocacy efforts and links to important facts, statistics and published research articles.

Quick jump to:

• DoD Psychological Health/Traumatic Brain Injury Applied Neurotrauma Research Award
• FY11 Psychological Health/Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program (PH/TBIRP)
• ATA's Continuing Efforts to Increase Research Funding
• Resources and Statistical Information on Tinnitus in Military Populations
• Helpful Research Articles
• Web Resources
   

DoD Psychological Health/Traumatic Brain Injury Applied Neurotrauma Research Award

Applications for the Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (PH/TBI) Research Program are being solicited by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Defense Health Program (DHP).

Description: The PH/TBI Research Program was established in FY07 for the purpose of complementing ongoing Department of Defense (DOD) efforts towards promoting a better standard of care for PH (including post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) and TBI in the areas of prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. This includes research to benefit service members, their family members, veterans, and other beneficiaries of the Military Health System (MHS).

Details: Visit http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=JXP1TTHTy2HwKSFnV721SFB84LDWNsbhGffpBnLyJzW11XNHpTwQ!-2014031096?oppId=126553&mode=VIEW to learn more about this opportunity.

FY11 Psychological Health/Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program (PH/TBIRP)

The PH/TBI Research Program Basic/Applied Psychological Health Award mechanism is being offered for the first time in FY11

Award Mechanism: Basic/Applied Psychological Health Award

Key Mechanism Elements: This Program Announcement/Funding Opportunity is focused on the research of psychological health and well-being of military personnel and their families. Investigators must demonstrate logical reasoning and a sound scientific rationale established through a critical review and analysis of the literature for the proposal to be competitive. Research projects should include a well-formulated, testable hypothesis based on a strong scientific rationale. This mechanism solicits basic and applied research (including early phase clinical trials). Preliminary data is required for applied research applications.

All applications to the FY11 DHP Basic/Applied Psychological Health Award mechanism MUST specifically address one or more of the following Task Areas listed below (with potential Areas of Interest). Applications can address basic science and/or applied research needs related to these Task Areas. Definitions of Basic and Applied Science are provided on pages 3 and 4 above. Applications for Task Areas other than those listed above should NOT be submitted in response to this Program Announcement/Funding Opportunity. If the proposed research is not DOD FY11 PH/TBI Basic/Applied Psychological Health Award 5 relevant to these advertised Task Areas, the government will administratively withdraw the application.

Task Areas:

1. Suicide Prevention: The goal of this Task Area is the development and validation of prevention and treatment interventions for suicidal behavior among military populations. Populations of interest include all Services, ethnicities, genders, Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserves.

2. Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD): The goal of this Task Area is to result in enhanced prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of combat-related PTSD.

3. Diagnosis and Treatment of Deployment-Related Psychological Health Problems and Health Risk Behaviors: The goal of this Task Area is to identify enhanced methods to prevent, diagnose, and treat deployment-related psychological health problems (e.g., depression, anger, grief, guilt, etc.) and/or health risk behaviors (e.g., alcohol and drug use, tobacco use, prescription misuse, violence, accident prone behaviors, etc.).

4. Warfighter Psychological Resilience: The goals of this Task Area are to better understand resilience processes, and to develop and validate skills-based strategies (e.g., enhancement of traditional training, stress management, emotion regulation, etc.) for enhancing Warfighter resilience and decreasing susceptibility to negative effects of trauma exposure and combat.

5. Military Family and Community Health and Resilience: The goals of this Task Area are to lead to improved, evidence-based family and community resilience programs and methods to build strong relationships (before and during deployment), and to maintain strong relationships during deployment/extended separation and reintegration.

Funding:

• The maximum period of performance is 4 years.
• Applications can be either basic science, applied science, or a combination of basic and applied science. For combined awards, the maximum allowable direct costs for the entire period of performance cannot exceed $4M.
• For applied science awards, the maximum allowable direct costs for the entire period of performance is $3M plus indirect costs.
• For basic science awards, the maximum allowable direct costs for the entire period of performance is $1M plus indirect costs.

Submission Deadlines:

• Pre-application Submission Deadline: 5:00 p.m. Eastern time (ET), October 12, 2011
• Invitation to Submit an Application: November 2011
• Application Submission Deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET, December 30, 2011
• Scientific Peer Review: February 2012
• Applicant Response to Scientific Peer Review Summary Statement (if applicable): April 2012
• Programmatic Review: May 2012

For more information visit: http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/phtbi.shtml

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ATA's Continuing Efforts to Increase Research Funding

For a second consecutive year, ATA's advocacy efforts have resulted in tinnitus research funding available through the Department of Defense (DoD). The 2009 Appropriations bill includes requests for tinnitus-related proposals for the DoD's $50 million Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP). This program was established by Congress in 1999 to study combat-related illness.

For the second year in a row, tinnitus is the number one service-connected disability for returning Global War on Terror veterans. This sharp increase is disconcerting, but we are pleased that our advocacy efforts have resulted in this opportunity for tinnitus investigators to continue and broaden their work toward finding a cure for all who suffer.

We are also excited to inform you that two tinnitus investigators have been awarded funding for their tinnitus proposals submitted for the 2008 funding allocation of $50 million - tinnitus research garnered nearly $2 million of that allocation all on its own. Competing with 21 other maladies and hundreds of proposals, Drs. Hinrich Staecker, current ATA Scientific Advisory Committee member, and Didier Depireux  are the recipients of these Investigator Initiated awards. You can read more about their projects here.

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Resources and Statistical Information on Tinnitus in Military Populations

The following documents provide current statistical information, research and resources on tinnitus in military populations. ATA is happy to provide this helpful information to you at the click of your mouse.

• This fact sheet provides data on the incidence of tinnitus within veterans and active duty military, as well as the alarming increases in tinnitus seen in other at-risk populations.
• Here are the most common service-connected disabilities for veterans from all periods of service. Tinnitus is number one. 
• This chart provides a startling visual of the current number of veterans who are service-connected for tinnitus as well as projections out to 2014 based on the current trends. 
• This chart shows the most common service-connected disabilities for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
• The PRMRP's annual report from 2007 provides a snapshot of the types of grant proposals received and funded during the 2007 funding cycle.
• The Veterans Independent Budget for 2012 outlines some of the latest developments in military-related tinnitus, including a recent study done "in theater" (war theater) on the blast exposed population. The findings indicate that rates of tinnitus, are exceeding hearing loss at all times, indicating that this group of veterans may have higher rates of tinnitus without hearing loss than maybe any other veteran group to-date. 
  
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Helpful Research Articles

Tinnitus, blast exposure, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), global war on terror, soldiers, veterans, traumatic brain injury (TBI), military, service-connected disability.

Web Resources