On November 9, David Rosenbaum, MD, FHRS, chair of the Heart Rhythm Society Research Subcommittee, represented the Society during an NIH Open House Workshop in Bethesda, MD. The meeting was sponsored by the NIH's Center for Scientific Review to solicit input from leaders of the scientific community on the alignment of its Integrated Review Groups (IRGs) and component study sections, which assess NIH grant applications for scientific and technical merit. Dr. Rosenbaum presented the Society’s recommendations during a series of energetic breakout sessions.

The Heart Rhythm Society was the only heart-related specialty represented during the workshop, which is one of six workshops being held this year in conjunction with NIH's project focusing on improving the peer review process.

The Heart Rhythm Society made the following recommendations:

1. Provide for broader review of electrophysiology (EP) grant
   applications in multiple study sections.
2. Better evaluate clinical relevance and impact of an application. Clinical impact should not be requirement for a grant application, but if there is clinical ("translational") impact, it should be emphasized and better appreciated.
3. Improve the process for review of smaller clinical studies from
   which important mechanistic insights can be derived.

Read the complete Heart Rhythm Society Recommendations (PDF, 219K)