PREPARE: Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program and Retention Enhancement

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The minority population in Texas surpassed the non-Anglo population in 2004, and is projected to increase substantially in the coming years. Projections for educational attainment in these ethnic populations, historically low because of socioeconomic and other factors, suggest continued disparity among minorities for college, graduate and professional school enrollment. Entry of underrepresented minority students into doctoral study in the biomedical sciences in Texas, and indeed, in the nation, remains low despite population changes in Texas, the second most populous in the country. There is an urgent need to train an increased number of health professionals, including biomedical scientists, to serve the minority population in Texas in the near future. UNTHSC is a leader among the health science centers in Texas in training minority biomedical scientists. We have developed an integrated plan to increase the number of minorities in biomedical research. The goal of our Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program and Retention Enhancement (PREPARE) program is to provide underrepresented minority individuals who have received undergraduate degrees in science a challenging, focused post-baccalaureate experience that will prepare them for acceptance into doctoral programs and allow them to successfully complete these programs, thus obtaining their doctoral degrees. We have developed the following measurable objectives along with a detailed evaluation plan: 1. Recruitment/Matriculation. The PREPARE Program will maintain ten post-baccalaureate trainees with an estimated five new trainees admitted each year. 2. Research Experience. PREP trainees will participate in frontline research in biomedical sciences under the mentorship of outstanding faculty. 3. GRE Preparation. PREP trainees will be given training to improve their GRE scores. 4. Academic Preparedness. PREP trainees will receive a thorough academic preparation program that provides the tools for success in a doctoral program in biomedical sciences. 5. Didactic Exposure. PREP trainees will receive coursework to prepare for the rigors of graduate education in biomedical sciences. 6. Graduate School Admission. A high percentage of PREP trainees (at least 80%) will enter doctoral level programs in biomedical sciences. In order to achieve these objectives in the award period, we have developed detailed plans for training, mentoring and evaluation as described in the application. Our expectations are that the PREPARE program will increase the number of minority students entering PhD programs in the biomedical sciences area, increase student retention in the PhD programs through the academic and laboratory preparation provided to the PREP trainees, and result in increased number of minority PhDs in biomedical sciences.