International Exchange Program for Minority Students

描述(由申请人提供)：科学和卫生专业缺乏多样性是造成健康差距的原因之一。然而，在种族之间的健康差距扩大的时候，进入科学和卫生专业的少数族裔学生的数量仍然很少。西奈山医学院国际卫生系为少数民族学生设立了国际交流项目。该方案的目标是培养少数民族学生对科学和医学的兴趣，提高他们的研究能力，以证实他们独特的文化和语言能力。这是通过在全球卫生环境中为少数族裔学生提供密集的培训和研究机会来实现的，这种环境验证了学生已经拥有的技能和文化背景。这种方法着眼于学生的优势和能力，而不是将少数族裔学生视为“弱势”。具体目标是：(1)在本科生、硕士和博士生一级挑选、培训和培养一支人数偏少的少数民族学生干部队伍，研究健康差距的基本概念，以激励他们成为解决问题的重要参与者。2)在全球，特别是拉丁美洲的伙伴机构，建立少数群体受训者和研究导师之间的合作机制，这是互惠互利的，确认受训者对科学的潜在贡献，并提高他们研究健康差距的能力。学生与来自墨西哥、巴西、智利、西班牙或南非的导师配对。导师有与西奈山研究人员合作的历史，通过一个现有的环境和职业健康国际培训研究项目(由福格蒂国际中心支持)，该项目在过去14年中取得了成功。在这个已建立的网络中进行培训，确保学生与拥有富有成效的研究项目的导师配对。正在进行的独立评估允许在赠款过程中实施改进。在该计划实施的三个培训周期中，17名学生完成了该计划，10名学生在准备本申请期间正在进行中。在完成该项目的17名学生中，4名发表或提交了同行评议的文章，5名与他们的国际导师一起在国际科学会议上发表了论文。该计划以一种强调在支持多样性的氛围中交流科学和文化知识的方式，促进受训者和他们的国际导师之间持久的双向合作。 相关性：健康差距仍然是一个主要的国家关切问题。保健专业中缺少少数群体是造成健康差距的原因之一。在日益全球化的社会中，学生应该获得国际视野，以便有效地应对未来的健康挑战。这项计划为少数族裔学生提供了获得国际研究经验的机会，这些研究侧重于解决健康差距的问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Lack of diversity in science and health professions contributes to health disparities. Yet, the number of minority students entering careers in the science and health professions continues to be small, at a time when the gap in health between the races has widened. The Division of International Health of Mount Sinai School of Medicine has created the International Exchange Program for Minority Students. The goal of the Program is to nurture minority students' interests in science and medicine by enhancing their research capacity in a way that validates their unique cultural and linguistic abilities. This is done by providing minority students with intense training and research opportunities in a global health environment that validates the skills and cultural backgrounds that the students already have. This approach focuses on the students' strengths and abilities rather than seeing minority students as "disadvantaged". Specific aims are: 1) To select, train and nurture a cadre of underrepresented minority students at the undergraduate, masters and doctoral levels in basic concepts of health disparities research in order to motivate them to become important participants in its solution. 2) To establish a mechanism for collaboration between minority trainees and research mentors in partner institutions around the globe, especially in Latin America, that is mutually beneficial, validates the trainees' potential contribution to science, and increases their capacity for research in health disparities. Students are matched with mentors in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Spain or South Africa. Mentors have a history of collaboration with Mount Sinai researchers through an existing International Training Research Program in Environmental and Occupational Health (supported by the Fogarty International Center) that has been successful over the last 14years. Training within this established network ensures that students are paired with mentors who have productive research programs. An ongoing independent evaluation allows implementation of improvements during the course of the grant. Over the three training cycles that the program has been in operation, 17 students completed the program and 10 are in progress during the time of preparation of this application. Of the 17 students who have completed the program, 4 published or submitted peer-reviewed articles and 5 presented at international scientific conferences with their international mentors. This program fosters lasting bi-directional collaboration between trainees and their international mentors in a way that emphasizes exchange of scientific and cultural knowledge in an atmosphere of support for diversity. RELEVANCE: Health disparities continue to be a major national concern. The lack of minorities in the health professions contributes to health disparities. In an increasingly global society, students should gain an international perspective in order to effectively address future challenges in health. This program provides opportunities for minority students to gain international research experiences that focus on solutions to health disparities.