UAB Neuroscience Roadmap Scholars Program

我们为阿拉巴马大学伯明翰分校（UAB）的神经科学路线图学者（RMS）计划寻求持续的R25资助。尽管在过去十年中，来自未被充分代表的少数族裔（URM）群体的美国公民获得科学博士学位的人数有所增加，但URM仍然只占美国科学家的一小部分。我们的神经科学路线图学者计划针对阻碍成功的障碍，目标是增加来自不同背景的神经科学研究学员的数量，为他们提供必要的工具和技能，使神经科学研究成为终身职业选择的博士生涯早期。该计划的具体“增值”部分包括每年为来自全国各地的UAB学生和神经科学博士生举办的东南地区NEURAL（全国代表不足学术领袖提升）夏季会议，与职业教练的互动，职业教练在学者的研究导师之外提供支持，团队建设静修，同伴指导和本科生指导，以及独特的课程和课外活动。随着医学院和综合神经科学中心对UAB神经科学的持续投资，神经科学路线图学者计划的未来是安全的，学者们将从充满活力的神经科学环境中受益，该环境吸引了9600万美元的校外资金。在第一个奖励期内，该计划的成功得到了以下方面的证实：超过预期的入学率和在UAB接受神经科学培训的代表性不足的学生的参与，成功获得了学者的校外奖学金，毕业生获得博士后奖学金的录取率为83%，而其他生物医学科学学生的录取率为67%。下一个资助期的目标将根据这一成功、学者、职业教练的意见以及内部和外部评估来确定。

We seek continued R25 funding for the Neuroscience Roadmap Scholars (RMS) Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Although the number of U.S. citizens from underrepresented minority (URM) groups earning doctoral degrees in science has increased over the past decade, URMs continue to represent a small proportion of the scientists in the United States. Our Neuroscience Roadmap Scholars Program targets the obstacles impeding success with the goal of increasing the number of trainees from diverse backgrounds in neuroscience research by providing them with the necessary tools and skills early in their PhD careers essential to making neuroscience research a life-long career choice. The specific “value added” components of the Program include the annual southeast regional NEURAL (National Enhancement of Under Represented Academic Leaders) summer conference for UAB students and neuroscience doctoral students from across the country, interactions with Career Coaches who provide support separate from the Scholar’s Research mentor, team building retreats, peer-to peer mentoring and undergraduate mentoring, and distinct curricular and extracurricular activities. With continued investment in Neuroscience at UAB by the School of Medicine and the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, the future of the Neuroscience Roadmap Scholars Program is secure, and Scholars will benefit from the vibrant neuroscience environment that has attracted $96M in extramural funding. Success of the Program during the first award period is substantiated by the greater than expected enrollment and participation by underrepresented students training in neuroscience at UAB, the success in securing extramural fellowship awards by Scholars, and the 83% matriculation of graduates to postdoctoral fellowships compared to 67% of other biomedical science students. Goals for the next funding period are informed by this success, and input from Scholars, Career Coaches, and internal and external evaluation.