Investigator Development Core

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT—INVESTIGATOR DEVELOPMENT CORE The scientific community faces a critical need to diversify its scientific work force and to improve representation from health disparity populations in all facets of public health and environmental health research. This need transcends multiple levels of educational attainment, and is not restricted to PhD level scientists, as dissemination of public health preventive measures to and engagement with diverse communities increasingly requires a well-trained and diverse workforce. Therefore, the primary mission of the MADRES Center’s Investigator Development Core will be to foster the next generation of independent scientists and research staff in environmental health disparities research. Underlying this mission is a commitment to providing formal and informal mentoring across multiple levels of education from undergraduate to assistant professor. The IDC goals will be accomplished through the following specific aims: (1) facilitate a pilot projects program for promising early stage investigators from health disparity populations; (2) re-establish an environmental epidemiology and community engagement internship program designed for undergraduate and graduate students from health disparity populations currently enrolled in consortium partner university, California State University Northridge (CSUN) and (3) facilitate mentorship of students, postdocs, and early stage investigators (including pilot project awardees) across the continuum of higher education, from undergraduates to assistant professors, through individualized career support, networking opportunities, and review of reports, presentations, and grant proposals. The IDC, with support from the Administrative Core, will operate a formal process for receiving, evaluating and selecting up to six pilot projects per year ranging up to $50,000 each depending on scope of the project to promote scientific research careers of early stage investigators from health disparity populations. The MADRES Center internship program with CSUN and the pilot projects program will foster undergraduate student, graduate student and early stage investigators’ careers and stimulate new multidisciplinary collaborations in environmental health disparities research.