Minority Predoctoral NHLBI Research Training at UT Southwestern

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application is to establish at UT Southwestern Medical Center a program to enhance minority predoctoral research training at UT Southwestern. This program will center on the provision of short-term training opportunities for undergraduate students in basic and clinical biomedical research focused in areas supported by the NHLBI. Medical student research at UT Southwestern Medical Center has a long and rich tradition. Since its inception in the late 1950's, these activities have encompassed a wide range of research opportunities that have been funded by state, private, and federal funds. Research activities that have been supported have included basic, clinical and applied areas. This program has increased substantially in the past decade, commensurate with the emergence and development of facilities and faculty available on the UT Southwestern Medical Center campus. At present, the funds available can only be used to support training of students enrolled at UT Southwestern Medical Center and selected undergraduates via competitive programs. It has become clear that the limited resources available to support these competitive programs do not permit the inclusion of groups of individuals that could benefit enormously from the early opportunities that such programs provide. This application seeks to establish a mechanism for the establishment of a program that will focus on the exposure and development of undergraduate students to formal training in clinical and basic research in areas of NHLBI focus. Based on experiences derived from the existing summer research programs at UT Southwestern, we envisage the establishment of a competitive program that would serve to provide opportunities to a range of students from underrepresented groups and minorities from undergraduate campuses throughout the United States. Building upon the experience that we have amassed in the identification and pairing of students and mentors, we anticipate that these experiences will serve to greatly enrich the research backgrounds of participating students. Furthermore, we believe that this program will serve to make the training environment accessible to a broader group of students. We anticipate that these activities will serve to enhance the opportunities for matriculation (at Southwestern, other medical schools, and other research focused institutions), heighten the awareness of the opportunities that are available for students that become interested in research, as well as providing the tools and mentoring support needed to take advantage of these opportunities. Numerous publications have noted the declining percentage of physicians pursuing a career in biomedical research. This need is particularly obvious when viewed from the perspective of minorities engaged in biomedical research. Our experience in engaging students at early periods of their careers have demonstrated to us the powerful effect that such experiences can have on the subsequent career development of individual students. The program outlined here will enlarge the range of opportunities for minority students to participate in NHLBI-sponsored research at UT Southwestern. (End of Abstract)