Attachment 24 Telephone Reminder PI Interview

Attachment 24

Telephone Reminder – PI Interview

Hello <NAME OF PI >:

My name is _________. I am with a research firm called Westat and I am following up on an e-mail invitation we sent you a few weeks ago to participate in a telephone interview for an evaluation of the Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) program.

[Await response]

On behalf of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), we appreciate your willingness to participate. As explained in the e-mail invitation, we expect the interview to take approximately an hour.

According to our records you are or were a PI on the <NAME OF SEPA PROJECT>. Is this correct?

[Await response. If affirmative skip next paragraph and continue. If negative read the following paragraph to prompt their memory and ensure they are not involved in this initiative]

The SEPA program provides grants for PK-12 educational projects, science centers, and museum exhibits to increase students’ interest in pursuing science-related careers, deliver topical interactive information about NIH-funded medical research, and cultivate an understanding about healthy living habits among the general public. Does that help remind which project we are talking about?

[Await response. If affirmative continue. If negative, thank individual and discontinue call]

Participation in the interview is voluntary, but your involvement will help ensure that SEPA and similar future efforts are successful. Information shared in the interview will be kept private to the extent provided by law. Data will be reported thematically in the aggregate and will exclude personal identifiers.

Can we go ahead now and schedule a mutually agreeable time for this interview?

[If possible, schedule interview now. If not possible, read the following paragraph].

OK, a member of our research team will follow-up with you to schedule a mutually agreeable time for the interview. When should I have them call you back?

[Await response and proceed accordingly]

Great. Thank you for your cooperation in this important study.

Important Contact Information

If you have questions about administration of the interview or the overall evaluation, please contact Dr. Jill Feldman at Westat: 240-453-2905 or jillfeldman@westat.com. This communication, and all components of the evaluation, have been reviewed and approved by Dr. Tony Beck at NIH at 301-435-0805 or beckl@mail.nih.gov. If you have questions about your rights as a participant in this evaluation, please call the Westat Human Subjects Protections office at 1-888-920-7631.