Yale Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program

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Project Summary This proposal describes a Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) at Yale University that will provide seven (7) underrepresented (UR) participants with a one-year program of evidence-informed faculty and near-peer effective mentored research training and technical, operational, and professional skills development for entry into rigorous biomedical, research-focused Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. programs. Participants will serve as research post-baccalaureates at nine person-months (75% full-time) effort and three person- months (25% full-time) effort to further skills development. The long-term goal of the proposed PREP is to expand the pool of well-trained, diverse biomedical scientists with the range of perspectives needed to address important problems in human health and disease, including health disparities. The proposed Yale PREP will recruit baccalaureate graduates from a wide range of colleges and universities but especially Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) through established partnerships. The Yale PREP will also leverage its long-standing, 28-year relationship, with the Leadership Alliance to recruit and mentor participants. Specific measurable PREP participant objectives include: (1) Increased level of preparedness for applying to Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. programs; (2) Increased knowledge and understanding across biomedical disciplines; (3) Increased understanding of scientific reasoning, rigorous research design, experimental methods, and quantitative and computational approaches; (4) Increased understanding of what it means to approach and conduct research responsibly, ethically, and with integrity; (5) Experience initiating, conducting, analyzing, interpreting, and presenting reproducible research with increasing self-direction; (6) Development of skills to communicate scientific research methodologies and findings to a wide variety of audiences in writing and verbally; (7) Increased health disparities knowledge; (8) Increased knowledge of the varied career paths in biomedical research. Expected outcomes include: (1) Having greater than 75% of participants transition into rigorous research-focused Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. programs in biomedical fields within two years of completing the PREP; (2) Having Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. completion rates of former PREP participants that are comparable to or greater than students in similar disciplines at their institution; and (3) Having former PREP participants enter careers in the biomedical research workforce.