Professor becomes permanent national grant review member

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Dr. Donald Ronning, UT professor of chemistry and biochemistry, became a permanent member of one of the national peer review groups that evaluate research grant applications sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) July 1.

“I’m extremely honored,” Ronning said. “It’s a way to give back to the greater scientific community that has supported my research and to my university community by networking with researchers from other universities who may not be familiar with the research capabilities at The University of Toledo.”

Ronning’s peer review group is one of many at the NIH’s Center for Scientific Review, a division of the national medical research agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that reviews grant applications for scientific valuation.

“There are different divisions that review grant applications specific to a field of inquiry like cancer genetics or neuroscience imaging; my section is called the drug discovery and mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance, which involves reviewing grant applicants proposing research to develop new drugs to treat infectious disease or studying ways that pathogens develop resistance to current drugs,” Ronning said.

His research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms by which bacterial enzymes carry out their biochemical function in cells; the knowledge is then used to design lead compounds and inform the development of new therapies to treat infectious diseases.

Those invited to serve on a study section are expected at every peer review group of their assigned section during their four-year term.

“As a permanent member, I am expected to prepare for and attend three meetings throughout the year. This equates to about five or six weeks’ worth of time,” Ronning said.

For more information, about the NIH’s Center for Scientific Review, visit public.csr.nih.gov.