What The Customers Say
Below are comments from clients who have used the services of BBMC over the past 10 years. They are not a random selection and they have been edited to respect the privacy of the contributors while keeping the meaning and intent of the originals. If you would like additional information from any of the clients please let us know and we will transmit your request to them, allowing them to decide whether or not they will respond directly, through BBMC or at all.
Office of the Director, NIH Honor Award (December 17, 2010):
“Norman Braveman, Peer Review Enhancement (PREA) Team - In recognition of dedicated outstanding leadership and service to the NIH extramural research community through implementation of Continuous Review of Peer Review.”
From a Full Professor and Associate Dean for Research:
“I have been working with Dr. Braveman for several years, after a colleague identified him as a potential person who could help us with our own grant writing. We have used many retired National Institutes of Health (NIH) personnel before, but we have found that he is among the best. Several things make him stand out.
Dr. Braveman is extraordinarily organized in providing feedback and in helping people get their own work organized. He has prepared and presented exceptional grant-writing workshops here at (NAME OF UNIVERSITY). In addition, he’s very good at providing feedback in general to both new and senior investigators. He is very forthright in his assessments. While he doesn’t pull any punches when he thinks something is not optimal, he is also very reasonable, and his criticism is very constructive. He doesn’t always tell us what we want to hear, but he tells us what we need to hear.
I have worked with Dr. Braveman on my own grants, via telephone, email and even on-site for extensive consultations. He’s fun to interact with. He has received uniform praises from new and senior investigators. We have referred him to other universities, who in turn sing his praises back to us.”
From a Full Professor and Director of a research center:
“Dr. Braveman has worked closely with our NIH-funded Center for the past 3-4 years. We first consulted with Dr. Braveman in the preparation of our competitive renewal center grant application. This application received an excellent priority score and was funded. He delivered a grant writing workshop that provided a detailed overview of the NIH grant review process. This workshop helped set the stage for working with him one-on-one, which I have found to be the most beneficial service of Braveman Biomed Consulting.
My experiences with Dr. Braveman’s one-on-one consulting have been outstanding. By working closely with Dr. Braveman over an extended period of time, I have learned to write more clearly, to pay attention to the smallest details, and to critically evaluate my own grant writing as well as that of my colleagues. Importantly, I not only learned what aspects of my grant writing were weak, but exactly how to improve my grant writing. This aspect of Dr. Braveman’s one-on-one consulting services sets him apart from anyone else I have ever worked with. Finally, through Dr. Braveman’s one-on-one consulting, I have gained valuable insight into the NIH grant review process and a trusted colleague that I can consult with on future directions of my own research and that of our center.
In summary, working closely with Dr. Braveman significantly improved my grant writing skills and the skills of several of my faculty members. Our interactions with Braveman Biomed Consulting proved extremely valuable in obtaining funding for our center grant….I highly recommend his one-on-one consulting services without any reservations to both experienced investigators as well as early stage investigators….”
From a newly hired Assistant Professor who took the grant writing workshop as a Post-doc Fellow:
“(Dr. Braveman’s) years of experience and wealth of practical…information about the grant review process made his contribution to my grant invaluable. My grant would not have turned out as polished, clear, or professional if it were not for his counsel.
(The) grant writing workshop provided down to earth, practical grant writing advice that clearly comes from years of experience. I would highly recommend his workshop because the information he provides goes beyond typical how-to instructions and clearly reflects his unique and valuable perspective.”
From an Associate Professor:
(Dr. Braveman) helped me to improve the conceptual flow of my writing, and to produce a clear, simple, well-argued proposal that was funded on the first submission.”
From an Assistant Professor:
“I feel extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to participate in a grant writing workshop conducted by Dr. Braveman as well as one on one grant consultation....Dr. Braveman discussed strategies for approaching the grant writing process that he has found successful….I was able to interact with Dr. Braveman to get answers to specific questions which I feel was of great benefit for the grant that I “thought” was ready to submit….While I genuinely benefitted from this workshop, without question, the opportunity to work with Dr. Braveman one on one, receiving immediate and constructive feedback in a dynamic working environment was by far the most influential experience in grant writing to date….In this intense week long exercise, we were given goals and benchmarks. Dr. Braveman served as a generative force to allow critical assessment of the science, presentation and design….the most productive aspect was that by no means was he a cheerleader or fan, rather the experienced coach, who maintained the highest standards for each individual. Most importantly, as an experienced coach, he has vast knowledge of what the championship “looks” like….”
Letter from a PI following completion of a multi-project center grant submitted to NIH.
"...the investigators found your suggestions very helpful especially in terms of how to structure their proposals....Dr. X specifically stated, 'I appreciated that he went into detail and actually rewrote/restructured many parts of my proposal to illustrate what he meant. I also appreciated that he was very critical and brutally honest. Your idea to include the (Name Of The Core Facility) within the Adminstrative Core was very good..."
From an Assistant Professor whose NSF application was approved for funding and her NIH R01 application was scored but not funded and was revised and resubmitted in November, 2019. Both applications focused on the role of the central nervous system in perception.
"I have consulted Dr. Braveman on both NSF and NIH proposals over the last several years, and in each case his help and advice have been invaluable. As an assistant professor, I learned a tremendous amount from Dr. Braveman about communicating my ideas clearly and concisely in a grant proposal. I was very impressed with his ability to cut through my convoluted explanations, get to the heart of what I was trying to communicate, and suggest better ways of getting the information across. Dr. Braveman answered my many questions about how reviewers might respond to specific aspects of my proposal. He also advised me on how best to address what the funding opportunity asked for and helped me understand how the NIH works. Overall, working with Dr. Braveman was a wonderful experience that enabled me to submit my absolute best work"
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