Mentorship of Individuals from Historically Under-Represented Groups in Health Sciences Research

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Despite increased awareness and provision of resources, there remain significant disparities in the demographics of the workforce in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics, medicine (STEMM). These disparities are the result of a “leaky pipeline” in which there is attrition of certain historically underrepresented groups at each stage of training and career advancement. In 2019-2020, 71% of doctoral degrees in STEMM fields were awarded to individuals who were categorized as White race and ethnicity. In 2019, although a higher number of women obtained a doctoral degree in a STEMM field compared to men, more than twice as many people employed in management or higher positions in the same fields were male compared to female. Prior studies showed that diversity within teams has many benefits, including innovation and strong information processing. Several conceptual frameworks have identified social supports that are mediated by enhanced self-efficacy and scientific identity to improve persistence to pursue a career in a STEMM field. Career development programs that offer evidence-based interventions that are rooted in these empirical models may be an individual-level approach to increase representation of historically underrepresented groups in biomedical sciences. The purpose of this project is to offer mentorship to early career trainees who are conducting research within the mission of NIDDK. The potential impact of this project is increased representation of early-career researchers from diverse backgrounds conducting research relevant to the priority areas of NIDDK. Specifically, this project targets individuals who are at the predoctoral and postdoctoral level and pursuing the next phase of progression towards becoming a Principal Investigator. The long-term potential implications include the potential to realize both direct benefits for program scholars as well as broader indirect effects for future researchers.