Minority Bridges Program

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Bridges Program has been in operation for five years. Since its inception, we have brought 52 students into the Program, and we propose that another 30 students join during the next three-year period. The results thus far are very encouraging. Eleven Bridges Fellows have entered Vanderbilt PhD programs; one has graduated, several are about to graduate, and all are currently in good standing. Fourteen Fellows are in line for entry in the upcoming year into the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (IGP), Chemical & Physical Biology Program (CPB), or Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at Vanderbilt University or other front-ranked graduate schools. Ten of our Bridges students are in PhD programs elsewhere. Two Fellows are in residency training, and two are in medical school. Two Fellows have chosen other science settings in industry or government, and eleven have not yet decided on a career path. Some of the undecided will probably enter PhD programs, and we correspond regularly with most of them. For those students enrolled in graduate programs we record no instances of attrition. The Bridges Program has had a marked influence on our students. Bridges insures an in-depth exposure to biomedical research and provides numerous enrichment opportunities, such as ethics lectures and discussions, GRE preparation classes, communication courses, and advanced seminars, which facilitate preparation for a career in scientific investigation. In our initial proposal and the last renewal of that proposal, we outlined Specific Aims to achieve our goal of increasing minority participation in biomedical research. These aims are recapitulated below, with comments reporting on our efforts and accomplishments, and new ideas for ensuring the success of our students.