TRANSforming Bio-medical Research & Academic Faculty through Opportunity, TRaining, & Mentorship (TRANSFORM)

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Project Summary/Abstract Despite investment by the National Institutes of Health in training underrepresented minority (URM) biomedical researchers, diversity at the independent investigator and academic leadership ranks (e.g., Associate and Full Professors, Division Chiefs and Department Chairs) in academic medical institutions remains meager. In 2019, among all 179,238 full-time faculty at medical degree-granting institutions, only 9.5% were URMs. The attrition of intellectual capital from the academy painstakingly earned by URM mid-career faculty at the cusp of becoming independent researchers and/or taking on leadership roles is disheartening. Despite the promising outcomes of career development programs (CDP) in facilitating early career success, few CPDs intentionally support the needs of URM mid-career faculty by bolstering their leadership skills and mentoring them to strengthen their psychological safety and self-efficacy, both of which are critical for professional advancement. Our overall objective is to transform the diversity of the biomedical research workforce by establishing a national CDP that enhances retention, promotion, and attainment of institutional leadership roles, thereby promoting longevity of academic research careers of URM mid-career faculty. Our proposed TRANSFORM program unites the expertise and educational modalities of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the University of Pittsburgh's Institute for Clinical Research Education, in partnership with three minority serving institutions and Centers of Excellence to recruit mid-career faculty researchers at the cusp of promotion and deserving of consideration for institutional leadership positions. By leveraging the AAMC’s annual Mid-Career Minority Faculty Leadership Seminar as the entry point to our program, we will matriculate 20 scholars per year into a yearlong multi-faceted program for URM mid-career faculty. Our program aims to 1) promote career satisfaction and retention in research careers by strengthening psychological safety and self-efficacy through small group coaching and peer mentoring, 2) increase academic promotion and leadership attainment by providing culturally responsive leadership skills training, 3) accelerate research career trajectories for URM scholars by providing individualized mentoring and interactive customized career development plans, and 4) build structured opportunities to facilitate institutional change, by having URM scholars complete a collaborative leadership project with an institutional leader (e.g. Division Chief, Dept Chair). Developed with the diversity of partnerships necessary to ensure long-term sustainability, our innovative program will increase retention of mid-career faculty and their promotion to senior ranks and leadership roles. Bolstering the ranks of senior URM researchers will, in turn, aid in the recruitment and mentorship of future URM investigators, build equitable and inclusive institutional cultures and ultimately be transformative in diversifying the biomedical research workforce to ensure equity in health and healthcare for all.