Intramural Diversity in Medical Research Initiatives

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During FY22, NIMHD DIR supported and promoted diversity by engaging in our own diversity programs, funding other diversity initiatives across the NIH campus, and committee service activities related to NIH racial and ethnic equity and workforce diversity. In FY22, NIMHD DIR continued its two flagship programs to promote diversity, the NIMHD William G. Coleman Jr., PhD, Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Innovation Award and the NIMHD DIR Adjunct Investigator program. NIMHD DIR expanded its collaborative efforts to increase the diversity of the biomedical workforce by joining the partnership supporting the Inter-Institute Endocrinology Training Program (IETP) is a three-year training program that seeks to train internal medicine physicians to become first-rate endocrinologists dedicated to investigative careers. NIMHD DIR assisted with interviews and selection and is providing funding of one 3-year spot in the program for a fellow focused on health disparities. In addition, NIMHD DIR continued to fund and host three summer interns focused on health disparities research. Two are from the partnership we have with the NINDS Health Disparities in Tribal Communities Summer Internship Program, and one was a medical student from our partnership with the Eastern Virginia Medical School/Norfolk State University/NIMHD DIR that is working on student training and creating pathways to graduate/professional programs, faculty development and health disparities research for underrepresented students. NIMHD DIR also partnered with the NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE) NIH Academy on Health Disparities, contributing lectures and planning activities for the coming year. Diversity Scholar Program. During FY22, our new Tenure-Track Investigators (TTIs) who will start October 15, 2022, Dr. Jinani Jayasekera, was selected for the NIH Distinguished Scholars Program (DSP), which aims to foster a culture of diversity and inclusion at NIH using a cohort model. So far, all 6 of DIRs TTIs have been selected for the DSP (except for one who was hired before the program existed and is now a Senior Investigator) and are supporting workforce diversity at NIH as active members of this cohort model program. Inter-Institute Endocrinology Fellowship Program (IEFP). The IEFP is a 3-year Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited training program that provides physicians and physician scientists with cutting-edge research and clinical endocrinology experiences. The program leaders are strongly committed to DEI and have invited NIMHD DIR to join. NIMHD is assisting with promotion of this opportunity and funded one 3-year slot for a trainee interested in health disparities research starting FY22. DEI-related Committee Service. DIR investigators are making tremendous contributions to DEI efforts at NIH through committee service. Four of our investigators participate on review committees (2 as Co-Chairs) for the NIH centralized Stadtman TTI search. In doing so, they are promoting the value of health disparities and minority health research at NIH and helping to bring diversity and inclusion to the forefront in consideration of candidates. Stadtman applicants are now required to submit a statement as part of their application that focuses on their mentoring philosophy and activities related to mentoring women and persons from underrepresented minority groups. Review committees are instructed also to include such details in their summary statements and ratings of candidates. This information is helpful to the NIH Scientific Directors (SDs) in hiring TTIs who are committed to DEIA. The Scientific Director continued to Co-Chair the N Committee of the NIH UNITE initiative focused on creating new research on minority health and health disparities and two NIMHD DIR investigators were founding members of the NIMHD Racial and Ethnic Equity Committee (REEC), Dr. Kelvin Choi (Co-Chair) and Dr. Leonardo Mario-Ramirez. The REEC has developed the NINHD Racial and Equity Plan, which specifies the objectives and activities of NIMHD related to racial and ethnic equity and DEIA more broadly. Dr. Kelvin Choi is Co-Chairing a new intramural Asian American Pacific Islander Health Scientific Interest Group (AAPI-HSIG) and the Health Disparities Interest Group at NIH. Dr. Npoles continued to serve on the MRSP Executive Steering Committee. Mentoring/training Activities. During FY22, NIMHD DIR served as the primary site for mentoring and training of a total of 41 trainees: 7 post-doctoral fellows, 2 pre-doctoral fellows, 21 post-baccalaureate fellows, 10 summer interns, and 1 medical research scholar program fellow. Two of the post-doctoral and one of the post-baccalaureate fellows were hosted by Dr. Shannon Zenks lab whose research program is hosted by NIMHD DIR. The overwhelming majority of these trainees were from underrepresented groups, e.g., African American, Latino, American Indian, South Asian, and most were women. Demand for traineeship opportunities within DIR has always exceeded capacity. Continued growth in the number of DIR investigators will help meet this demand.