New mentorship program will train AU faculty on grant funding

The Institute of Public and Preventive Health is launching a new public health grants mentorship program that will kick off in August.

“Applications were due in April and we have selected our first cohort that will start in August and will be comprised of four faculty from the College of Education, College of Nursing (two), and Medical College of Georgia,” explained the institute’s director, Dr. Aaron Johnson. “We plan to enroll a new cohort each year for what will be a two-year mentoring program.”

The program is open to faculty members who are relatively new and have not received a significant grant before.

“Grants are hard to come by and they may get even more difficult to obtain [in the future],” Johnson said, making it more important than ever to teach faculty members at AU about the process of obtaining them.

Participants will learn about the components of what makes a successful grant, will take part in mock grant reviews, and will receive individualized feedback as they develop their proposals.

“We will support AU faculty who have fantastic ideas for their research and help them grow into successful grant writers and managers,” said Dr. Teal Benevides, an associate professor of occupational therapy who works at the Institute, who will work closely with the participants.

The ultimate goal, of course, is for the participants to be successful in applying for grants, whether from federal or state agencies or private foundations.

“This opportunity really allows for cross-college development of faculty,” she said. “When I first got here a few years ago, it was fairly siloed between Medical College of Georgia and the rest of Augusta University’s colleges.”

Benevides is very much looking forward to getting started with the program at the end of this summer.

“Our mission is growing at AU and that’s great for our institution. I’m especially excited to work with Dr. Johnson and this first cohort of mentees.”