Brown University Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program

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Project Summary/Abstract This proposal seeks continued support for the Postbaccalaueate program at Brown University (renamed ‘PREP@Brown) to advance our work in developing a diverse pool of knowledgeable and well-trained individuals who go on to pursue Ph.D. degree training and careers in the biomedical sciences. This work responds to the need to expand and diversify the U.S. STEM workforce. Informed by best practices and lessons learned from our early work and relationships with our IMSD program and the Leadership Alliance, we describe an innovative program characterized by a comprehensive and customizable set of interventions to support and advance underrepresented students' academic and career development and success. Each year, our program will recruit and support six research-oriented baccalaureate graduates from underrepresented backgrounds (The Scholars) and provide them with interdisciplinary research experiences, individualized academic planning, professional development, and skill-building activities to increase their competitiveness and readiness for high-caliber doctoral programs. Participating departments for Brown's PREP@Brown program are those in the Life and Medical Sciences Division and include biology, neuroscience, molecular microbiology and immunology, pathobiology, public health, and cognitive, linguistic, and psychological sciences. In addition to intensive interdisciplinary research experiences and knowledge development, multiple mentorship and community-building opportunities permeate the activities of PREP@Brown. This will create a community of scholars that will help Participants successfully navigate training needed for readiness for graduate studies. The use of Individual Development Plans (IDP) will ensure that PREP@Brown research, educational and professional development activities are tailored to address each Scholar’s academic and career goals. The PREP@Brown Program will also create opportunities for faculty to engage in conversations about the importance of developing a diverse workforce in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. We have developed a comprehensive evaluation plan to assess outcomes and progress toward meeting the overall goal and aims of this project and monitor quality assurance across the proposed interventions. As designed, PREP@Brown has begun to, and will continue to increase the production of underrepresented students who obtain a doctoral degree in the biomedical sciences; institutionalize best practices on training and mentoring of diverse scholars – practices that can be shared among the Brown community and beyond.