Summer Research at the University of Minnesota Medical School

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Abstract The long-term goal of this program is to harness institutional resources, both physical and human capital to support a vibrant, challenging and supportive research training program that can contribute to the development of a future biomedical scientific workforce that more broadly represents the diversity of our society. It is clear to us that the current lack of diversity in this workforce, particularly at the doctoral and professional level, prevents us from reaching our full potential to enhance the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular, lung and blood diseases. Challenges stemming from this lack of diversity include difficulty in recruiting individuals from underrepresented groups into clinical trials, and efforts to eliminate health disparities that disproportionately affect individuals from under-represented groups. Of particular concern, given the rapidly changing demographics in the US, is the reality that a lack of diversity narrows the pipeline and perspectives of talented individuals who can advance the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute’s scientific mission. To address this long-term goal, we have developed a number of short-term objectives: 1. Recruit a diverse, academically outstanding cohort of students from across the US and Puerto Rico to the University of Minnesota, and provide student participants with a program faculty-mentored independent research opportunity, 2. Maintain a previously developed innovative research-training module devoted to recruiting and training a cohort of students, selected from participant pool, who are committed to the pursuit of a combined MD-PhD degree, and 3. Develop a series of workshops designed to provide program participants with skills needed to successfully compete for admission to a doctoral programs. Our working hypothesis is that the training provided to these participants will provide them with the skills, experience, and ambition required to successfully compete for admission to PhD, MD-PhD and other advanced degree programs. The proposed research training program will provide 22 undergraduate students recruited from across the US and Puerto Rico to an intensive 10-week summer independent research experience in the laboratories of program faculty mentors on the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus. It is anticipated that six of these students will participate in the aforementioned combined MD-PhD module. All students selected will have had between one and four years of university education at the baccalaureate level. To be eligible students must not yet have received their baccalaureate degree, and must self-identify as a member of an underrepresented racial or ethnic group, or be disabled, or disadvantaged. The ultimate measure of the success of this training program will be it’s ability to assist program participants in becoming members of the biomedical scientific workforce, pursuing research in cardiovascular, lung or blood diseases. It is anticipated that between a third and a half of student participants will go on to pursue advanced research degrees in the biological sciences upon completion of their baccalaureate degree programs.