TY - JOUR
T1 - Preparing the next generation of diverse biomedical researchers
T2 - The university of north Texas health science center's initiative for maximizing student development (IMSD) predoctoral program
AU - Jones, Harlan P.
AU - Vishwanatha, Jamboor K.
AU - Yorio, Thomas
AU - He, Johnny
N1 - Funding Information:
We also recruited at scientific meetings hosted by professional societies. The Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Scientists (ABRCMS) and Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native American Scientists (SACNAS) provide undergraduate students, largely URMs, a venue to showcase their research, gain valuable knowledge around graduate school, and learn about career opportunities in the biomedical sciences. IMSD PDs and UNTHSC GSBS representatives attend one or both conferences to recruit students into UNTHSC GSBS programs and network with meeting attendees (eg, academic advisors and institutional administrators). Another recruitment venue is through the UNTHSC Texas Center for Health Disparities (TCHD), which is funded by the National Institutes on Minority Health Disparities (NIMHD). One of TCHD’s major functions is the training and education of undergraduate students in health disparity research through its Training and Education Core. Each year, undergraduate students attend the annual Health Disparity Conference as part of their summer research internship training program. This experience provides undergraduate students a deeper understanding of biomedical research as it relates to minority populations and, in many ways, motivates students to pursue research. Finally, we utilize web-based and social media resources for prospective IMSD applicants. All prospective IMSD trainees’ contact information is maintained within a database in the UNTHSC Center for Diversity and International Programs (CDIP), which houses IMSD and other diversity programs. This database provides reporting on prospective students who have attended any of our summer outreach programs as well as identifies interest in our graduate school through our recruitment efforts.
Funding Information:
The IMSD approach to train ing assures that trainees receive fi nancial support, an individualized development plan, culturally aware mentored research experiences, and professional development that collectively promotes entry and persistence in biomedical research careers. The IMSD program offers trainees financial assistance throughout their pre-doctoral training. IMSD trainees receive 24 months of financial assistance inclusive of stipend, tuition, and health insurance directly from the UNTHSC IMSD program. The trainee’s financial package is supplemented with support from their mentor’s funded research program as well as the Dean’s Office of GSBS through its MORE (Minority Outreach in Research and Education) Scholar’s program instituted in 2004 during the initial funding of UNTHSC IMSD. In addition, IMSD trainees are encouraged to apply for other institutional and extramural training fellowships (eg, NIMHD-funded endowment, NIH-supported training fellowships, foundation grants) to support their pre-doctoral training program. All IMSD trainees are assured financial assistance for the duration of their doctoral training as long as they remain in good academic standing.
Funding Information:
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers R25GM064365 and R25GM125587. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the the National Institutes of Health.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Ethnicity and Disease, Inc.. All rights reserved.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - The National Science Foundation (NSF) reports that underrepresented minority students are just as interested as their White counterparts in majoring in science upon entering college.1 However, the numbers of those receiving bachelors' degrees, attending graduate school, and earning doctorates remain lower than their White peers. To close this gap, the National Institutes of General Medical Science's (NIGMS) Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) at University of Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) supports the timely completion of PhD degrees by underrepresented students and their transition into successful biomedical research careers. Throughout UNTHSC's IMSD training program, we have designed interventions anchored by the central hypothesis that PhD attainment requires attentiveness to multiple factors (knowledge, psychosocial, financial and self-efficacy). An assessment of program outcomes demonstrates a progressive increase in trainee retention. Importantly, not-withstanding quantitative measurable outcomes, trainee and mentor evaluations express the value in addressing multiple factors relevant to their success. Since 1996, our cumulative success of underrepresented minority students completing the doctorate increased from 64% (1996) to 84% completion (2018). Herein, we describe the UNTHSC IMSD training approach spanning its performance over two five-year cycles (2004-2008; 2009-2013) and new interventions created from lessons learned that influenced UNTHSC's newly awarded IMSD program (2017-2022).
AB - The National Science Foundation (NSF) reports that underrepresented minority students are just as interested as their White counterparts in majoring in science upon entering college.1 However, the numbers of those receiving bachelors' degrees, attending graduate school, and earning doctorates remain lower than their White peers. To close this gap, the National Institutes of General Medical Science's (NIGMS) Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) at University of Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) supports the timely completion of PhD degrees by underrepresented students and their transition into successful biomedical research careers. Throughout UNTHSC's IMSD training program, we have designed interventions anchored by the central hypothesis that PhD attainment requires attentiveness to multiple factors (knowledge, psychosocial, financial and self-efficacy). An assessment of program outcomes demonstrates a progressive increase in trainee retention. Importantly, not-withstanding quantitative measurable outcomes, trainee and mentor evaluations express the value in addressing multiple factors relevant to their success. Since 1996, our cumulative success of underrepresented minority students completing the doctorate increased from 64% (1996) to 84% completion (2018). Herein, we describe the UNTHSC IMSD training approach spanning its performance over two five-year cycles (2004-2008; 2009-2013) and new interventions created from lessons learned that influenced UNTHSC's newly awarded IMSD program (2017-2022).
KW - Biomedical Workforce
KW - Doctoral Training
KW - Mentoring
KW - Underrepresented Minority
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85078162257&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.18865/ed.30.1.65
DO - 10.18865/ed.30.1.65
M3 - Article
C2 - 31969785
AN - SCOPUS:85078162257
SN - 1049-510X
VL - 30
SP - 65
EP - 74
JO - Ethnicity and Disease
JF - Ethnicity and Disease
IS - 1
ER -