Mentoring Young Minds to Increase Diversity in Biomedical Research

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The number of underrepresented minority (URM) faculty in biomedical sciences is extremely low in comparison with other ethnic groups. This situation could be reversed with an increase in the population of URM graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The overall objective of this application, in response to the Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity (IMSD), is to channel undergraduate students into Ph.D. programs in the biomedical sciences. URM scholars will be engaged very early on in their undergraduate studies in hands-on bench research, first as part of a summer program, where they will be introduced to basic laboratory techniques and scientific thinking. This initial program is likely to increase the retention of URM students in the field of science (specific aim 1). After the summer program, these students will join the laboratories of well- established investigators who will serve as their mentors. These mentors will further train and motivate the scholars to pursue Ph.D. degrees. Participants will be assisted in their applications to various Ph.D. programs (specific aim 2). Scholars that achieve a minimum of requirements (a GPA of 3.0 or above, completion of a graduate course with a grade of B or better, and a strong recommendation from the student's mentor) will have guaranteed admission into the Biomedical Science (BMS) Ph.D. program at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) where they will be supported for two years and aided in obtaining independent funding to complete their Ph.D. degrees. Moreover, these students will be educated on how to develop a strategy for obtaining faculty positions after postdoctoral training (specific aim 3). Since educators are highly influential role models and directly responsible for the learning experience, a wide ethnic pool of teachers is needed to guarantee the wealth in opinion and experience required for the desired well-rounded development of future American scientists. The number of underrepresented minority (URM) faculty in biomedical sciences is extremely low in comparison with other ethnic groups. This situation could be reversed with an increase in the population of URM Ph.D. students in biomedical sciences, which is the overall objective of this application.