Student Mentoring Through Regional Scientific Symposia

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案的目标是：(1)通过提供一个专业研讨会，激发MARC项目学生以及其他未被充分代表和/或少数民族（URM）学生的高质量科学研究，他们可以(a)了解影响健康差距的医学科学，(b)以口头和海报展示自己的工作，(c)从拥有国家学术证书的教师和导师那里获得反馈；(2)提供非正式的科学方法，以补充和加强学生与当地导师目前的基础科学研究经验；(3)让参与的学生熟悉健康差异作为科学研究和示范项目的重点，以及他们自己在专业成长和发展中将遇到的挑战的背景。具体目标是：(1)在五年内开展20个学生指导跟踪项目，作为区域专题讨论会的一部分，讨论少数民族，医疗服务不足和癌症，以及与健康差异相关的其他科学主题。(2)每个项目年派出20 - 40名学生和两名导师参加在休斯顿德克萨斯大学安德森癌症中心举办的为期一周的美国健康差异年度会议。德州;(3)在学生参加社区区域研讨会的学生辅导课程后，提供持续的教育强化和辅导。方法：在项目的5年时间里，每年将有50名学生参加4个区域专题讨论会，共计1000名学生。每个区域研讨会的学生辅导活动将包括(1)由一到两名专业人士和学生小组进行圆桌辅导；(2)学生与来自不同联邦机构和国家组织的广泛代表进行互动的“思想市场”。(3)学生口头和海报展示；(4)从定期区域专题讨论会日程中选出的会议。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goals of this proposal are to: (1) Stimulate quality scientific research among MARC program students as well as other underrepresented and/or minority (URM) students by providing a professional Symposium at which they can (a) learn about medical sciences as they impact health disparities, (b) present their own work in oral and poster presentations, and (c) receive feedback from faculty and mentors who have national academic credentials; (2) Provide informal exposure to scientific methods that will complement and reinforce the students' current basic science research experience with their local mentors; and (3) Familiarize the participating students with health disparities as a focus for scientific research and demonstration projects as well as a context for challenges that they themselves will encounter in their professional growth and development. Specific Aims are to (1) Conduct 20 Student Mentoring Track programs over five years as part of Regional Symposia addressing Minorities, the Medically Underserved, & Cancer, in addition to other scientific topics related to health disparities. (2) Send a cohort of 20 - 40 students plus two mentors per Project Year to participate in the annual week-long conference on Disparities in Health in America offered at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Texas; and (3) Provide ongoing educational reinforcement and mentoring after the students attend the Student Mentoring Track of the Regional Symposium in their community. Methods: Over the 5-year period of the project, 50 students will participate in each of 4 Regional Symposia annually, for a total of 1,000 students. Student Mentoring Track activities at each Regional Symposium will include (1) roundtable mentoring with one or two professionals and small groups of students; (2) A "Marketplace of Ideas" where students interacted with an wide array of representatives from different federal agencies and national organizations. (3) Student oral and poster presentations; and (4) Selected meetings from the regular Regional Symposium schedule.