San Antonio Biomedical Education and Research

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Project Summary UT Health San Antonio (UTHSA), St. Mary’s University (StMU), and Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) developed the San Antonio Biomedical Education and Research (SABER) postdoctoral training program 4 years ago. SABER combines mentored training in state-of-the-art research with innovative pedagogic teaching methods and guided teaching experiences. UTHSA, StMU, and OLLU are all Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), a direct reflection of the regional population; San Antonio is the 7th largest city in the United States with the largest Hispanic population in a Hispanic-majority city. UTHSA is also the only Tier-One research university in South Texas and has a strong culture of educational excellence. Many alumni occupy faculty positions at local institutions that predominantly serve Hispanic undergraduate students. The unique training environments at UTHSA, StMU and OLLU promote faculty and trainee sensitivity to the needs of a large and rapidly expanding population of Hispanic students. Hispanics accounted for half of the country’s growth in the last decade and college enrollment of Hispanics is at an all-time high. However, Hispanics are underrepresented at all levels of the scientific community. SABER has been highly successful in achieving the overarching goal of the IRACDA program which is to prepare “a diverse and accomplished pool of scholars for academic careers that closes the gap between the aspirations and achievements of undergraduates in our region”. Seventeen (17) postdoctoral fellows were recruited into the SABER program; 10 were female, 8 were from underrepresented groups and 10 were doctorally-prepared outside UTHSA. Moreover, 4 out of 5 SABER alumni advanced into highly competitive faculty positions. The skills and knowledge gained in the SABER infrastructure have been leveraged and integrated into the standard research training environment at UTHSA. SABER positively impacted the scientific curricula at OLLU and StMU, increased research opportunities for undergraduates and fostered faculty research. The programmatic goals of this successful training program are to build on its achievements and amplify its impact with the following Objectives: 1) Expand the recruitment of highly qualified SABER postdoctoral trainees. 2) Provide exemplary research, teacher, and professional training for Scholars interested in academic careers at either primarily undergraduate institutions (PUI) or research-intensive institutions (RII). 3) Build undergraduate research, foster research collaborations and professional development of faculty as well as enhance the implementation of impactful research-based science curricula using evidence-based teaching strategies at our Partner Institutions. 4) Expand the linkages within SABER to regional academic institutions. Successful completion of these objectives will continue to benefit all participating and regional academic institutions, and enhance the collective biomedical research environment and academic community in South Texas.