University of Michigan Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (UM PREP)

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The University of Michigan Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (UM PREP) was inaugurated in 2009 to increase the ability of underrepresented students to successfully compete for admission to biomedical research graduate programs and to succeed in obtaining doctoral degrees from excellent Ph.D. programs across a broad range of biomedical disciplines throughout the country. Through a combination of NIH support and institutional funds, UM PREP scholars will receive research training in: 1) biomedical sciences in the Medical School (through the Program in Biomedical Sciences, comprised of 13 graduate degree-granting programs), 2) biomedical engineering through the College of Engineering (including biomedical, chemical, mechanical, and materials science engineering), 3) Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, and Psychology in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, 4) Pharmaceutical Science and Medicinal Chemistry in the School of Pharmacy, 5) public health disciplines, including Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the School of Public Health, 6) the science of human movement in the School of Kinesiology, and 7) oral health sciences, sensory biology and cancer biology in the School of Dentistry. The University of Michigan is committed to recruiting a diverse and talented student population at all levels (from K-12 to undergraduate, and from undergraduate to graduate and professional programs). This commitment has been highlighted by a major diversity effort initiated by University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel (http://www.diversity.umich.edu). Now in its fifth year, and led by Dr. Robert Sellers, Chief Diversity Officer, the University of Michigan has committed 85 million dollars to fund more than 2,500 action items from 50 plans developed by individual schools, colleges and campus units. Since its inception in 2009, UM PREP has trained 107 scholars, and we are currently training a cohort of 11 UM PREP trainees. Of these 107 UM PREP alumni, 83 matriculated in Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. programs (77% Ph.D. matriculation rate). Of those 83 matriculants, 24 UM PREP alumni have successfully obtained their Ph.D. degrees in biomedically relevant fields, while 47 UM PREP trainees are actively pursuing their Ph.D. degrees (85% Ph.D. retention rate). Further, UM PREP alumni have been extremely successful in obtaining individual fellowships with 10 NSF GRFP awardees, and five individual NIH predoctoral fellowships, including a prestigious F99/K00 award. The continuation and expansion of the current, highly successful UM PREP program at the University of Michigan, with support from the Medical School, College of Engineering, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Center for the Education of Women+ (CEW+) and the Rackham Graduate School will provide promising UM PREP scholars from around the country with the needed preparation both to apply successfully to rigorous graduate programs and to succeed once they matriculate.