IRACDA at the University of Pennsylvania: Penn Postdoctoral Opportunities in Research and Teaching (PennPORT).

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Summary Although the importance of a diverse biomedical science workforce is widely appreciated, progress toward broadening participation in STEM fields has been disappointingly slow. Contact with inspiring STEM educators can increase the number of underrepresented students who pursue biomedical research careers, but too few scientists are trained as teachers, and even fewer are attuned to the needs of diverse student populations. The University of Pennsylvania's Postdoctoral Opportunities in Research and Teaching IRACDA Program (PennPORT IRACDA) has been working to address this problem by training postdocs for careers that combine high quality research and teaching, while supporting STEM education at regional minority-serving institutions. The dual objectives of the program are: 1) to develop a diverse group of highly trained biomedical and behavioral scientists who are both outstanding researchers and highly qualified undergraduate educators, and 2) to strengthen undergraduate science education at our partner schools and encourage undergraduate students to pursue further education leading to a career in the sciences. During the three-year training program (with an optional fourth, research intensive year), 15 total scholars (5 IRACDA-funded scholars per year) will conduct cutting-edge, independent research under the direction of Penn faculty research mentors, who represent a broad array of NIGMS-related research areas and departments at Penn and its affiliated institutes. With support and training from PennPORT IRACDA and Penn’s Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs, scholars will conduct impactful research and develop the professional skills needed to succeed in academic research. In parallel with their research training, PennPORT scholars will progress through a teacher training sequence in which they take a formal course in pedagogical methods offered by the Penn Center for Teaching and Learning and audit a course at one of our partnering minority-serving institutions, teach for two semesters with mentorship from partner school teaching faculty, and conduct individualized leadership activities to gain exposure to academic programming. Our three partnering institutions, Delaware County Community College, Lincoln University, and Rutgers - Camden University, span the range of undergraduate environments, providing scholars with distinct teaching opportunities. For the partner schools, PennPORT IRACDA scholars provide new pedagogical approaches and exciting, research-oriented courses. In addition, PennPORT scholars serve as important mentors and role models to partner school undergraduates, supporting their career progression and providing opportunities to engage in research in Penn labs. We anticipate a successful program outcome in which at least 70% of scholars will attain their career goal of obtaining an independent academic position that combines teaching and research. Success will also be defined by positive partner school impacts, including the delivery of high-quality courses and increased engagement of partner school students in research-oriented activities that can lead to careers in biomedical research.