RISE: Educating Tomorrow's Biomedical Workforce

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Program Summary. Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) has established a strong track record of achievement in both research and education. Our efforts have been impactful in training the next generation of biomedical scientists and in enhancing the diversity of the biomedical research workforce locally and nationally. The MSM RISE Program has been an integral component in providing the resources and support for maintaining this track record in research training. The overall goals of MSM’s RISE Program are to enhance research training in biomedical and behavioral sciences and to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups who successfully complete PhD programs in these fields. The specific goals and objectives of the proposed program are: Goal 1- Support pre-doctoral graduate students in completing the PhD program with the knowledge base and skill set that will make them competitive for research-based postdoctoral positions and research grant support. This goal will be addressed through the following objectives: 1.1- Enhance scientific writing, critical thinking and communication skills; 1.2- Promote and foster active learning to enhance critical thinking skills; 1.3- Utilize the breadth and strength of the MSM research enterprise and our partners to enhance training of pre-doctoral students; and 1.4- Provide opportunities that will enhance students’ understanding of Big Data Science. Goal 2- Leverage Student Learning Communities and the Office of Career Connections to enhance the graduate experience and prepare RISE Scholars for academic and non-academic biomedical careers. The following objectives will address this goal: 2.1- Enhance networking skills and opportunities for constructive feedback; 2.2- Enhance student leadership development and management skills; 2.3- Leveraging the Office of Career Connections (OCC) to prepare students for academic and non-academic biomedical careers. To accomplish these goals and objectives, the RISE Program will include hands-on, focused skill development workshops; fellowship application development mini-camps; and active learning training for investigators. Sponsored seminars will include: State-of-the-Sciences seminars given by scientific leaders in their respective fields; student-led seminars to develop scientific presentation skills; and career development seminars. Additionally, the RISE Program staff will be actively involved in enhancing the academic experience of graduate students through Learning Communities, career exploration via the Office of Career Connections and will provide a gateway for exposure to the rapidly developing field of big data science. Based on the institutional goal of increasing enrollment in the PhD program by 20% over the next five years, we propose to increase the number of RISE students supported by 50% over the next five years. Students selected as RISE scholars will receive up to five years of salary and tuition support. The anticipated milestones include: increased numbers of abstracts accepted for presentation and increased numbers of published manuscripts; an average graduation rate of 90% for RISE Scholars, with an average of 80% of these graduates entering research-based post-doctoral positions and jobs; development of a graduate data science curriculum; and expansion of the mentor pool for RISE Scholars and the overall graduate program.