Bethesda, Maryland — Starting Wednesday, September 1, 2004, the National Institutes of Health will accept applications to its five Loan Repayment Programs. December 15, 2004, is the application deadline.

The NIH Loan Repayment Programs can repay up to $35,000 of qualified educational debt for health professionals pursuing careers in clinical, pediatric, contraception and infertility, or health disparities research. The programs also provide coverage for Federal and state tax liabilities.

Participants must possess a doctoral-level degree, devote 50% or more of their time to research funded by a non-profit organization or government entity (federal, state, or local), and have educational loan debt equal to or exceeding 20% of their institutional base salary. U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or U.S. nationals may apply.

The five NIH Loan Repayment Programs are the Clinical Research LRP, Clinical Research for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds LRP, Contraception and Infertility Research LRP, Health Disparities LRP, and Pediatric Research LRP.

“The NIH Loan Repayment Programs is one of our nation’s most significant efforts to ensure a solid foundation of clinical, pediatric, contraception and infertility, and health disparities research professionals for the next generation,” says Ruth Kirschstein, M.D., Senior Advisor to the Director, NIH. “These programs provide a means for health professionals to launch their research careers unfettered by the burden of student loan debt.”

All applications for 2005 awards must be completed by 5 p.m., December 15, 2004. Visit www.lrp.nih.gov to apply.

The NIH comprises the Office of the Director and 27 Institutes and Centers. The Office of the Director is the central office at NIH, and is responsible for setting policy for NIH and for planning, managing, and coordinating the programs and activities of all the NIH components. The NIH is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.