Catalyzing Systemic Change at Drexel University to Support Diverse Faculty in Health Disparities Research

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PROJECT SUMMARY The Drexel University FIRST program will build a collaborative structure involving multi-level inputs from University leaders, academic units and faculty to catalyze sustainable institutional change that supports scientific and inclusive excellence in the conduct of health disparities research. The Administrative Core (AC) will (1) recruit and ensure the success of a diverse set of junior faculty and (2) support the transformation of the environment at Drexel University to facilitate the recruitment and success of other diverse NIH funded researchers and create a sustained culture of inclusive excellence across the University. We will leverage and expand on Drexel University strengths including (1) Drexel’s historical commitment to inclusion and civic engagement; (2) the updated University strategic plan which prioritizes enhancing faculty diversity and sustaining a culture of inclusive excellence; (3) the recent exponential growth of externally funded interdisciplinary population health, intervention science and health disparities research at Drexel; and (4) University supported interdisciplinary population health initiatives with a health disparity focus. We have selected health disparities as our area of emphasis because of its importance to the health of the nation, the critical role of diverse faculty, and the strong track record, support and infrastructure for health disparities research at Drexel. The program will test the primary hypothesis that a cohort model of faculty hiring, sponsorship, continual mentoring, and support for professional development, embedded within an institution implementing evidence-based practices, will create an academic culture of inclusive excellence demonstrated by significant improvements in metrics of institutional culture and scientific workforce diversity. We also hypothesize that the cohort model will lead to impactful science in health disparities. The Administrative Core will provide administrative and budgetary oversight, organizational structure, external input, University partnerships, communications, and accountability mechanisms necessary to test these hypotheses. The Specific Aims of the AC are: (1) To provide general administrative and budgetary oversight of the FIRST Cohort program, including the creation and implementation of a governance structure that engages faculty across the university, is responsive to program needs in a timely manner. (2) To oversee faculty development and evaluation activities, including coordination with other FIRST cohorts and with the