Improving grant/proposal writing success for Ob/Gyn trainees, faculty, and career development scholars through structured education and mentorship.
ReSET at a Glance
Do you need help coming up with a study idea or writing a convincing proposal? Want to be a clinical collaborator and work effectively with researchers? Or maybe you want to understand more about grant sections, RFAs, how to work with your PO, how to craft budgets? Would you like a grant support team to work with you and keep you on a timeline? The Research Scholars Educational Training (ReSET) Program provides the structure and guidance necessary to help you produce a well-written grant or proposal and get it out the door.
ReSET on Canvas Learning Platform
Lecture and workshop descriptions and materials, ReSET team members, recordings, and other relevant information are on the ReSET Canvas website. Log into Canvas (University, not SOM) https://go.canvas.duke.edu/, then contact Rebecca Kameny for access.
A 2024 ObGyn Departmental survey found that faculty and trainees lacked structured, real-time, individualized grant writing support. From 2011-2016, the Duke School of Medicine provided resources and organized mentorship for grant writing through the K-Club and Pathway-To-Independence. These programs, which incorporated lectures, workshops, mentored support teams, and internal mock reviews improved the success of obtaining grant funding. The ReSET Program aims to fill this need for ObGyn.
ReSET is open to anyone in the department (faculty, residents, fellows, staff) who is interested in learning more about grant and proposal writing. It is mandatory for all K12 scholars (BIRWCH, KURe and WRHR) and strongly recommended for any department member who has not submitted a grant (departmental, institutional, federal or nonfederal) before and is planning to submit within 6-9 months.
Hands-on grant and proposal writing workshops, lectures, and a GRADS (mentoring) Team work together to create an environment for successful writing and timely submission.
Lectures & Workshops
The ReSET curriculum consists of 1- to 1.5-hour lectures on essential grant and proposal writing topics, and hands-on workshops on writing specific sections of a grant. Lectures and workshops are held on the 4th Wednesday of each month at Baker House Room 214 from 9:00 - 10:30 AM (unless otherwise noted).
| Meeting | Date | TOPIC | Lecturer/Facilitator | Time | Location |
| 1 | 08/27/25 | Understanding tasks, timelines, and organizing your team | Chuck Scales | 9:30 - 11:00 AM | Baker House 214 |
| 2 | 09/24/25 | Writing strategies: common pitfalls, key resources | Warren Grill | 9:30 - 11:00 AM | Baker House 214 |
| 3 | 10/22/25 | The science of using figures effectively | Margeaux Marbrey | 9:30 - 11:00 AM | Baker House 214 |
| 4 | 11/19/25 | Workshop: challenges and solutions in the design and conduct of a pilot study | Ken Schmader | 9:30 - 11:00 AM | Baker House 214 |
| 12/24/25 | BREAK | ||||
| 5 | 01/28/26 | Finding the right scope for your proposal | Kevin Weinfurt | 9:00 - 10:30 AM | Baker House 214 |
| 6 | 02/25/26 | How to write your research proposal in a way that is responsive to the funding announcement | Megan Huchko | 9:00 - 10:30 AM | Baker House 214 |
| 7 | 03/25/26 | Workshop: Writing Specific Aims | Cathleen Colon-Emeric | 9:00 - 10:30 AM | Baker House 214 |
| 8 | 04/22/26 | How and when to communicate with your project officer | Whitney Robinson | 9:00 - 10:30 AM | Baker House 214 |
| 9 | 05/27/26 | Workshop: Writing Significance and Innovation | Matt Maciejewski | 9:00 - 10:30 AM | Baker House 214 |
| 10 | 06/24/26 | How to craft a budget | Cathleen Colon-Emeric | 9:00 - 10:30 AM | Baker House 214 |
| 07/22/26 | BREAK | ||||
| 11 | 08/26/2026 CANCELLED - DATE TBD | Effective communication: Balancing technical and non-technical language for broader appeal | Kevin Weinfurt | 9:00 - 10:30 AM | Baker House 214 |
| 12 | 09/23/26 | Searching for funding opportunities | Alicia Korenman | 9:00 - 10:30 AM | Baker House 214 |
| 13 | 10/28/26 | Workshop: Writing research design | Amy Corneli and Warren Grill | 9:00 - 10:30 AM | Baker House 214 |
| NOVEMBER | BREAK | ||||
| 14 | 12/16/26 (3rd Wed) | Working with research administration (ORA, RASR) | Margeaux Marbrey | 9:00 - 10:30 AM | Baker House 214 |
| 15 | 01/27/27 | Incorporating feedback from collaborators and mock reviewers | Whitney Robinson | 9:00 - 10:30 AM | Baker House 214 |
| 16 | 02/24/27 | Workshop: Other sections of the grant (biosketches, facilities, etc.) | Margeaux Marbrey | 9:00 - 10:30 AM | Baker House 214 |
| 17 | 03/24/27 | Your grant got scored: responding to NIH reviews | Matt Maciejewski | 9:00 - 10:30 AM | Baker House 214 |
| 18 | 04/28/27 | How and where to disseminate/present your results | Megan Huchko | 9:00 - 10:30 AM | Baker House 214 |
Grant Development Support
The Grant Development Support (GRADS) Team facilitates grant submission progress, and provides grant section reviews and career development advice for individuals submitting a grant.
If you will be submitting an external grant in the next six months and would like a GRADS team to support your progress in completing the grant application, complete the ReSET Request for Grant Development Support form.
As leader of your GRADS team, you (the grant submitter) will organize a timeline for your team. The team is expected to meet for approximately 1 hour at 1-2 week intervals during the 2 months prior to submission. The purpose of the meetings will be to review your Specific Aims, Significance and Innovation, and Research Design sections, as well as any other grant sections.
Join the ReSET Grant Development Support (GRADS) Team or be a Grant Reviewer
Do have have expertise in grant writing or reviewing? Consider joining the GRADS Team. Monetary stipends will be allocated for efforts related to grant development support. To indicate your interest in serving as a mentor or reviewer, complete the ReSET Sign Up form.