A graduate partnership to expand educational opportunities at an HBCU

说明（由申请人提供）：关于少数群体接受高等教育的研究普遍表明，少数群体学生在入学方面比非少数群体学生要克服更多的障碍。2005年，特拉华州州立大学和德雷克塞尔大学医学院的神经科学项目结成伙伴关系，试图克服少数民族学生成功进入和完成博士课程的障碍。2006年，他们开始了一个联合DSU德雷克塞尔双学位硕士-博士研究生课程在神经科学，已经看到它的第一批学生从DSU过渡到德雷克塞尔在2008年秋季。目前合作的目标是将双学位研究生课程从仅仅神经科学扩展到所有生物医学硕士。在DSU的生物医学博士课程。德雷克塞尔医学院的课程该项目包括以下具体目标：1）增加从DSU毕业的少数民族学生的数量，并获得硕士学位。生物医学科学从每年1 - 3人增加到每年5 - 7人; 2）增加生物医学硕士毕业生继续攻读博士学位的人数，从每年1 - 2人增加到每年3 - 5人; 3）加强M.S.计划在生物系在DSU，使所有毕业生有资格在德雷克塞尔的生物医学博士先进的地位。4）将德雷克塞尔大学生物医学博士课程中代表性不足的少数民族研究生的比例从9提高到20。该项目的一个关键组成部分将是升级DSU的视频会议能力和基础设施，以便德雷克塞尔的课程和研讨会可以通过视频会议有效地提供。为了实现这些目标，该计划将建立在成功的神经科学双学位课程的模型，并将其扩展到包括其他两个生物医学博士。德雷塞尔医学中心培养大量博士生的项目：分子和细胞生物学与遗传学;微生物学和免疫学。DSU教师和德雷克塞尔生物医学研究生项目的教师主任组成的一个工作组将开会为MS开发课程。该计划的组成部分，将准备学生进入博士课程与先进的地位。与神经科学课程一样，生物医学关联学位课程的课程将包括从学生参加该课程的第一学期开始参加德雷克塞尔的课程、研究生研讨会和其他研究生课程。就像神经科学课程一样，我们计划在课程期间，DSU生物学硕士学生们将通过视频会议和现场出席的组合参加至少两门德雷克塞尔的课程，每个参加该项目的MS学生都将有一位德雷克塞尔的指导老师，他或她的论文委员会将担任指导老师。DSU生物学硕士学生还将有机会在德雷克塞尔实验室进行实验室轮换和论文研究项目。到该计划结束时，我们预计将：1）增加来自代表性不足的群体的学生进入生物医学硕士课程的人数，目的是进入博士课程并从事研究工作; 2）建立发展活动，帮助生物医学科学的MS学生更容易过渡到博士课程; 3）加强DSU的研究生课程和研究培训，为生物医学硕士课程的学生提供知识和技能，使他们能够在博士课程中取得成功。 公共卫生相关性声明：该计划将有助于增加进入并完成生物医学博士课程的少数民族学生的数量：1）在DSU和生物医学博士之间建立研究生教育伙伴关系。在德雷克塞尔大学，这将加强生物医学研究生课程在DSU，HBCU; 2）建设学术和研究技能的少数民族研究生谁有兴趣追求一个更高的学位，但还没有准备好进入博士课程; 3）培养兴趣追求博士学位的研究生参与研究培训和指导在一流的医学院。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Studies of minority access to higher education have generally shown that minority students have more barriers to overcome in matriculating than do non-minority students. In 2005, Delaware State University and the Neuroscience program at Drexel University College of Medicine formed a partnership to try to overcome barriers to minority students successfully entering and completing PhD programs. In 2006 they began a joint DSU-Drexel dual-degree MS-PhD graduate program in neuroscience that has seen its first students transition from DSU to Drexel in fall of 2008. The objective of the current partnership is to expand the dual-degree graduate program from just neuroscience the program to link all biomedical M.S. programs at DSU with the biomedical Ph.D. programs at Drexel Medical School. The project includes the following specific aims: 1) To increase the number of minority students graduating from DSU with an M.S. in biomedical science from 1 - 3 per year to 5 - 7 per year; 2) To increase the number of Biomedical MS graduates continuing on to PhD programs from 1 - 2 per year to 3 to 5 per year; 3) To strengthen the M.S. programs in the Department of Biology at DSU so that all graduates qualify for advanced status in Drexel's biomedical Ph.D. programs; 4)To increase the percentage of under-represented minority graduate students in biomedical PhD programs at Drexel from 9 to 20. A key component of the project will be upgrading the videoconferencing capabilities and infrastructure at DSU so that Drexel courses and seminars can be delivered effectively by videoconference. To meet these objectives, this program will build on the model of the successful neuroscience dual degree program and expand it to include two other Biomedical Ph.D. programs that train a large number of PhD students at Drexel Med: Molecular and Cell Biology & Genetics; and Microbiology and Immunology. A task force of DSU faculty and the faculty directors for the Drexel Biomedical Graduate Programs will meet to develop a curriculum for the M.S. component of the program that will prepare students to enter the PhD program with advanced status. Like the neuroscience program, the curriculum for the biomedical linked- degree program will include participation in classes, graduate seminars and other graduate program offerings at Drexel starting from the first semester that students are in the program. Like the neuroscience program, we plan that over the course of the program, DSU Biology M.S. students will take at least two Drexel courses through a combination of videoconferencing and live attendance, and that every MS student in the program will have a Drexel faculty advisor who will serve on his or her thesis committee. DSU Biology M.S. students will also have the opportunity to conduct lab rotation and thesis research projects in Drexel laboratories. By the end of the program we expect to have: 1) increased the number of students from underrepresented groups who enter biomedical MS programs with the intent to enter a PhD program and pursue a career in research; 2) established developmental activities that will help MS students in biomedical sciences more easily make the transition to PhD programs; and 3) strengthened DSU's graduate courses and research training to give students in biomedical MS programs the knowledge and skills that will allow them to be successful in PhD programs. Public Health Relevance Statement: This program will help increase the number of minority students who enter and complete PhD programs in Biomedical Science by: 1) Creating a graduate education partnership between DSU and the Biomedical Ph.D. programs at Drexel University that will strengthen biomedical graduate programs at DSU, an HBCU; 2) Building the academic and research skills of minority graduate students who are interested in pursuing an advanced degree, but are not ready to enter a PhD program; 3) Fostering interest in pursuing a PhD by involving graduate students in research training and mentoring at a first rate medical school.