G-RISE at the University of Texas at El Paso

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Project Summary The primary mission of the G-RISE Scholars Program at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is to increase the participation of underrepresented minority (URM) Ph.D. trainees in biomedical/biochemical research. The rationale for this program is based on the stated goals of the NIH to increase URM representation at all levels of the Ph.D. pipeline. The UTEP G-RISE Program will be an inter-departmental training program with trainees in the Biosciences and the Chemistry and Biochemistry Ph.D. programs. The overarching goal of this proposal is to significantly increase the participation of URM doctoral students in the Biosciences and Chemistry/Biochemistry programs over the next 5 years and successfully prepare them for careers in the research workforce using effective, evidence-informed approaches. To accomplish our goal, we will pursue the following specific objectives: (1) Increase the number of URM students that enroll in UTEP's Biosciences and Chemistry and Biochemistry Ph.D. programs; (2) Ensure that the majority of trainees graduate within six years in the program; (3) Ensure that trainees and faculty mentors participate in all G-RISE training activities and comply with training grant requirements; and (4) Expect that all trainees will publish at least two peer- reviewed manuscript(s) prior to graduation. The current proposal is modeled on the successful implementation of RISE undergraduate and graduate training program. Due in part to this program, the Biosciences Ph.D. program was able to increase URM representation (primarily Mexican-American) to 75% since the implementation of the program. In this proposal, we are specifically requesting to train 12 first year Ph.D. trainees per year that will be appointed for 3 years each. The G-RISE intended outcomes are to significantly enhance our existing graduate programs by increasing the number of trainees, by adding valuable training workshops for all graduate students, and by lowering the years to degree. The G-RISE graduate trainees will also receive enhanced mentorship and guidance from the PD and Co-PDs who will counsel them at important junctures and checkpoints during their graduate careers. The goals and objectives that have been proposed in this application should allow us to continue to generate a highly talented pool of trainees with a genuine interest in pursuing academic biomedical research careers.