Job Description Peer Review Member

Charge

To support and assist the committee chairs by reviewing training/career development and project support applications.

Appointment

• Members are appointed to staggered terms of no more than four consecutive years.
• After completion of four consecutive years of total service, the member must complete a one-year hiatus before returning to a peer review committee.

Equipment Requirements

• Laptop with internet access (wireless for face-to-face meetings)
• Landline phone connection is recommended for teleconference meetings.

Time Commitment

• Time commitment includes application review, critique preparation, meeting activities and post-meeting critique edits. Each program-based peer review committee meets once per year and may include Letter of Intent activities.
• If the review group is set to meet face-to-face, 1 to 3 days may be required for meeting and travel time. For a teleconference meeting, members are expected to attend for the entire meeting time frame on the scheduled meeting date.

Responsibilities

• Reviewer workload should not exceed 10 application assignments.
• Register or update profile in ProposalCentral.
• Respond in the requested time frame for preferences.
• Validate any Conflicts of Interest (personal, professional, institutional).
• Evaluate the merit of assigned applications relative to the peer review criteria. Prepared critique should be fair, objective, scholarly, and offer positive constructive criticism to the applicant.

Qualifications

• Minimum Assistant Professor career level or equivalent.
  • Individuals with non-academic appointments possessing significant expertise will be considered. Please submit a biosketch for committee chairperson approval.
• Nationally recognized competence in one or more fields of biomedical research.
• Current or recent independent peer reviewed funding typically at the national level; or equivalent research funding for reviewers employed in industry or government.
• Consistent record of peer reviewed publications within the past five years.
• Knowledge of the AHA and commitment to its mission.
• Mature judgment and objectivity.
• Ability to work effectively in a group.
• AHA Professional Membership is encouraged.

Method of Appointment

• Peer Reviewers may be nominated by the study group chairperson, study group members, Research Committee members and self-nominations through ProposalCentral.
• Prior to appointment, the candidate's credentials must be reviewed by AHA staff.