Ponce School of Medicine MBRS-RISE Program

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The primary goal of the Ponce School of Medicine (PSM) MBRS-RISE Program is to increase the competitiveness and retention of underrepresented Hispanic students participating in biomedical research in the interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program at PSM in Puerto Rico. The PSM MBRS-RISE Program will address several shortcomings of our current Ph.D. program, including a low number of applicants, high withdrawal rates, the need for more specialized graduate courses and workshops, lack of financial assistance, the need for improved mentoring in preparation for post-graduate professional plans, and the need for a formal evaluation system to monitor our graduate students and provide direction for improving the training of our students. The program proposes to accomplish these goals through enhancement of the academic, research, personal, and professional competence of our underrepresented minority students, which will better prepare them for careers in the biomedical sciences. The specific measurable objectives of the PSM RISE program are as follows: (1) to increase the quality and retention of the students in the Ph.D. program; (2) to provide continuing, new, and enhanced professional development and career skills training for PSM MBRS-RISE trainees to strengthen their future competitiveness; and (3) to conduct critical evaluation and student tracking to assess program effectiveness, track the career paths of RISE graduates, and provide feedback for improving student training. The PSM MBRS-RISE program will complement existing MBRS-SCORE and RCMI programs to significantly enhance the overall research program by providing a better trained student workforce to conduct the funded research projects and provide the momentum to create new research initiatives. The enhanced training provided by the PSM MBRS-RISE program will increase the number of Hispanic Americans doing biomedical research and encourage the growth of biomedical research in Puerto Rico. By contributing to a more culturally diverse research workforce, the program will foster biomedical research of minority health disparities.