Pacific High Schools STEP-UP to Biomedical Research

描述（由申请人提供）：夏威夷大学，约翰A。烧伤医学院，建议制定一个夏季生物医学研究培训和教育计划，为代表性不足的少数民族高中学生在太平洋地区。该计划将涵盖夏威夷州、美国附属（悬挂国旗）领土美属萨摩亚、关岛和北方马里亚纳群岛联邦;以及美国附属（不悬挂国旗）领土，包括帕劳共和国、密克罗尼西亚联邦和马歇尔群岛共和国。这些太平洋社区是代表性不足的太平洋岛民最集中的人口，高等教育的成功率远低于全国平均水平，与NIDDK有关的疾病负担差距众所周知。我们提出的研究培训计划将是前所未有的，在大多数目标太平洋社区，生物医学研究基础设施和健康研究教育是不存在的。我们的短期目标是提高高中生对生物医学研究和职业道路的认识，长期目标是建立一个稳定的代表性不足的年轻学生管道，这些学生有兴趣并准备好追求生物医学科学教育，并最终与NIDDK的使命相关的研究职业。为了开始解决这些目标，我们提出的计划，“太平洋高中加强生物医学研究”将集中在四个具体目标。目标1是每年从美国夏威夷招收20名高中生（代表性不足; 11 /12年级）。萨摩亚、关岛、北马里亚纳群岛自由邦、密克罗尼西亚联邦、帕劳共和国和马歇尔群岛共和国向太平洋加强方案。目标2是为太平洋STEP-UP学生提供与NIDDK使命相关的高质量的实践研究经验，并在JABSOM的夏季提供与研究相关的教育。目标3是通过以小型研讨会的形式向美国的目标高中教师和学生提供分子生物学实验室技术和相关科学概念的本地接触，介绍和激发对生物医学研究的兴趣。萨摩亚、北马里亚纳群岛自由邦和马歇尔群岛共和国。最后，目标4是在JABSOM招募至少20名科学家，从事与NIDDK使命领域有关的研究，作为STEP-UP学生的导师（目标1），并为STEP-UP学生制定指导计划。我们将评估我们的计划在增加夏威夷原住民和太平洋岛民追求生物医学科学高等教育方面的影响，特别是在与NIDDK的使命相关的领域。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The University of Hawaii, John A. Burn School of Medicine, proposes to develop a summer biomedical research training and education program for the underrepresented minority high school students in the Pacific region. This program will encompass the State of Hawaii, the US-affiliated (flagged) territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands; and the US-associated (non-flagged) territories that include the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. These Pacific communities constitute the most concentrated populations of underrepresented Pacific Islanders, with success rates of higher educational attainment well below national averages, and well known burdens of disease disparities that are relevant to NIDDK. The research training program we propose will be unprecedented in most of the targeted Pacific communities where biomedical research infrastructures and health research education are nonexistent. Our short-term goal is to raise awareness of biomedical research and career pathways in high school students, with the long-term objective of establishing a steady pipeline of underrepresented young students with interests and readiness in pursuing biomedical sciences education and, ultimately, research careers relevant to NIDDK's mission. To begin to address these goals, our proposed program, "Pacific High Schools STEP-UP to Biomedical Research" will focus on four Specific Aims. Aim 1 is to recruit annually 20 high school students (underrepresented; 11 /12 Grade) from Hawaii, Am. Samoa, Guam, CNMI, FSM, Republic of Palau, and Republic of Marshall Islands to Pacific STEP-UP. Aim 2 is to provide the Pacific STEP-UP students high- quality, hands-on research experience related to NIDDK mission, and research-related education over the summer period at JABSOM. Aim 3 is to introduce and stir interests in biomedical research by providing local exposure to molecular biology laboratory techniques and related scientific concepts in the form of mini- workshops to targeted high school teachers and students in Am. Samoa, CNMI, and Republic of Marshall Islands. Finally, Aim 4 is to recruit at least 20 scientists at JABSOM with research related to NIDDK mission areas as mentors for STEP-UP students (Aim 1), and develop a mentoring plan for the STEP-UP students. We will evaluate the impact of our program in terms of increasing Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders to pursue higher education in biomedical sciences, particularly in areas relevant to NIDDK's mission.