BRAINS: Broadening the Representation of Academic Investigators in NeuroSciences - A national program to increase the advancement of neuroscience researchers from diverse backgrounds

大脑（扩大神经科学学术研究者的代表性）计划， 成立于2011年，明确解决了包容，保留，和早期职业生涯的进步（后博士。 从历史上代表性不足和边缘化群体（URMG：个人）的神经科学家 边缘化的种族和族裔身份以及残疾人）。大脑开创了一种独特的 基于群体的专业发展方法，对参与者的职业轨迹产生积极影响， 特别是在学术神经科学领域，通过建立一个神经科学同行社区1，2， 网络3，4，激活参与者的文化资本1，提高参与者的职业自我效能5。的 我们的研究结果表明，144名参与者中有90%继续留在 神经科学职业此外，50%的人目前处于终身职位，而2010年时为24%。 加入大脑通过这次更新申请，目标1旨在通过以下方式在BRAINS成功的基础上再接再厉： 通过增加BRAINS社区参与者的数量来扩大我们的计划，以及 加深所有参与者对BRAINS核心技能和概念的参与。相比其他 国家专业发展计划，大脑计划脱颖而出的程度， 大脑参与者继续深入参与社区后，他们在该计划的第一年长。在 评估数据显示，在其第一个十年中，大脑信息和联网系统的方案编制是一个持续的变革， 为参与者提供基础资源。因此，大脑计划是独特的定位，探索和 确定提高URMG神经科学家在学术和 非学术性的科学职业。因此，在目标2中，我们将引入一个新的10年评估工具， 帮助我们更好地理解为什么该计划是有影响力的，以及在参与者进步的过程中， 通过他们的职业生涯。总而言之，这些目标将使BRAINS在参与者人数方面得以扩大 并继续授权来自URMG的200多名神经科学家在他们的研究中茁壮成长， careers.此外，这项工作将揭示新的重要因素，可以提高长期保留 来自URMG的神经科学家在科学生涯中的作用，这反过来又可以为未来的发展提供信息。 计划和机构政策，旨在增加URM科学家在生物医学事业的保留。

The BRAINS (Broadening the Representation of Academic Investigators in NeuroScience) Program, established in 2011, explicitly addresses the inclusion, retention, and advancement of early career (post Ph.D. to pre-tenure) neuroscientists from historically underrepresented and marginalized groups (URMGs: individuals from marginalized racial and ethnic identities and persons with disabilities). BRAINS has pioneered a unique cohort-based professional development approach that positively impacts participants’ career trajectories, especially in academic neuroscience, by building a community of neuroscience peers1,2, enabling mentoring networks3,4, activating participants’ cultural capital1, and increasing participants’ career self-efficacy5. The success of BRAINS is evident by our findings that 90% of the 144 participants continue to remain in neuroscience careers. Moreover, 50% are currently in tenure track positions, compared to 24% at time of joining BRAINS. With this renewal application, Aim 1 seeks to build on the successes of BRAINS by expanding our program through an increase in the number of the BRAINS community participants, as well as deepening the engagement of all participants with core BRAINS skills and concepts. When compared to other national professional development programs, the BRAINS program stands out in terms of the extent to which BRAINS participants continue to engage deeply with the community long after their first year in the program. In its first decade, evaluation data show that BRAINS programming is a consistent transformational and foundational resource for its participants. Thus, the BRAINS program is uniquely positioned to explore and identify the essential factors that increase retention of neuroscientists from URMGs in academic and nonacademic science careers. Therefore, in Aim 2, we will introduce a new 10-year evaluation instrument to help us to better understand why the program is impactful and what sticks with participants as they progress through their careers. In summary, these Aims will allow BRAINS to expand in terms of participant numbers and in terms of continuing to empower over 200 neuroscientists from URMGs to thrive and advance in their careers. Further, this work will shed new light on the important factors that can improve the long term retention of neuroscientists from URMGs in science careers, which in turn can inform the development of future programs and institutional policies aimed at increasing the retention of URM scientists in biomedical careers.