Summer Undergraduate Alcohol Research Program

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In the US, 15 million people have alcohol use disorders (AUD) and 95,000 people die per year of alcohol attributable causes, making alcohol misuse the third-leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Despite the overwhelming need for better prevention and treatment of the health consequence for AUD, the biomedical science workforce devoted to this problem is inadequate. The University of Nebraska Medical Center has a history of performing quality alcohol-related research since the 1960s. This history, existing infrastructure, and organization of multiple enthusiastic, federally funded alcohol researchers makes us well positioned to continue to provide superior training and inspire the next generation of alcohol researchers. Our program’s goal is to provide a diverse group of undergraduate students with early, immersive exposures to alcohol research with the hope of launching some of these students on their way to careers in biomedical and alcohol-focused research. We have a strong track record of supporting the development of young scientists with our Summer Undergraduate Alcohol Research Program (SUARP). The SUARP was initiated in 2012 with funding through the NIAAA and has trained 77 undergraduate students. We have been successful in recruiting a diverse student population with 30% of our students identifying as underrepresented minorities in science. Our program is already making progress in achieving its major long-term objective of adding to the biomedical research workforce. Of the 77 students participating in the 10-week program since 2012, we have follow-up data on 71 (92%). Of those, 72% reported participating in a research project after completing our program, 7% are in graduate school in a science field, and 58% are in health professions school or are practicing clinicians. The SUARP program will provide a 10-week, hands-on, mentored, research experience for undergraduate students to stimulate their interest in careers in biomedical research. As a part of the program, we will teach SUARP students the pathophysiological consequences of alcohol misuse on human health. We will also introduce students to the scientific skills needed to build a successful scientific career. This is a comprehensive, intense program of scientific training dedicated to developing the next generation of scientists engaged in examining the challenging issue of alcohol intake and its impact on health. We have built a strong program and remain enthusiastic to continue to serve students and contribute to the improvement of the diversity of the alcohol research community.