Institutional National Research Service Award Hispanic *

描述（由申请人提供）： 研究肺和血液疾病的科学家中，少数民族的比例远远低于他们在总人口中的代表性。这也是一种自我延续的现象，由于缺乏榜样和支持性导师，寻求这些领域高级学位的少数群体人数进一步减少。为解决这一问题，已作出协调一致的努力，增加少数民族获得生物医学研究高级学位的人数。然而，这些努力并没有像希望的那样成功，主要是因为根本没有足够的合格本科生申请这些领域的高级学位。因此，增加少数民族作为主要研究者进入生物医学研究的最重要方法是增加这些高级学位的本科申请人。也许增加本科申请人的最好方法是在少数民族本科生做出职业决定之前，在他们的大学生涯早期为他们提供一个令人兴奋和有益的生物医学研究经验。该提案旨在寻求资金，以提供有益的研究经验，少数民族本科生在新墨西哥州的研究实习计划（RIP）。这项建议有三个独特的优点。首先，新墨西哥州是一个少数民族占多数的州，拉美裔和美洲原住民共同代表了人口的大多数。第二，新墨西哥州大学在肺部和血液病方面有着长期建立和国家认可的研究项目。第三，新墨西哥州大学有一个非常成功的本科生培训计划，以帮助少数民族进入临床医学职业。这里的少数民族学生研究计划将1）每年招募10名西班牙裔或美洲原住民学生，进行3个月的肺部或血液学研究的有偿研究，2）协助在全国会议或出版物上介绍他们的研究，3）在研究计划期间和之后指导这些学生，以提高研究职业轨道的保留率，以及4）帮助这些学生申请研究生学位课程。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The percentage of scientists investigating Lung and Blood disease that belong to ethnic minorities is far below their representation in the general population. This is also a self-perpetuating phenomenon, where the lack of role models and supportive mentors produces further declines in the number of minorities seeking advanced degrees in these fields. To address this, there has been a concerted effort to increase the number minorities obtaining advanced degrees in biomedical research. However, these efforts have not been as successful as hoped, mainly because there are simply not enough qualified undergraduate students applying for advanced degrees in these fields. Therefore, the most important method of increasing the number of minorities entering biomedical research as principle investigators is to increase the undergraduate applicant pool for these advanced degrees. Perhaps the best way to increase the undergraduate applicant pool would be to provide minority undergraduate students an exciting and rewarding experience in biomedical research early in their collegiate career, before they have made career decisions. This proposal seeks funds to provide rewarding research experience to minority undergraduate students in New Mexico in a Research Internship Program (RIP). There are three unique advantages to this proposal. First, New Mexico is a minority-majority state, where Hispanics and Native Americans together represent the majority of the population. Second, the University of New Mexico has long established and nationally-recognized research programs in pulmonary and hematologic diseases. Third, the University of New Mexico has a highly successful undergraduate training program to assist minorities entering careers in clinical medicine. A minority student research program here would 1) Recruit ten Hispanic or Native American students per year for 3 months of remunerated research in pulmonary or hematology research, 2) Assist in the presentation of their research at national meetings or in publications, 3) Mentor these students during and after the research program to enhance retention in a research career track, and 4) Assist these students in the application process for graduate degree programs.