CHHS welcomed Belinda Orland, national senior director of Research and Grants Administration at the American Heart Association (AHA) to campus for two days in March. AHA is the largest nonprofit, nongovernmental funder of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular research in the U.S., with awards surpassing $5.9 billion across more than 50,000 projects since 1949. The event was part of a HealthIER collaboration series with NIU’s 71 North Partnership Studio and planned in partnership with NIU’s Office of Innovation and Office of Research Development.
The visit kicked off with tours of six research spaces across the university, including Dean Fiala showcasing existing and planned college facilities such as the McMurry collaborative space and Baustert Bahwell Health Technology Center. The following day, Orland presented about AHA research grants and took questions from groups interested in undergraduate student research training, predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships, and faculty research grants. Sixteen researchers and research teams gained individualized insights into the AHA funding mechanisms aligned with their projects over dinner and in one-on-one meetings.
