Expanding Participation by Minorities in Biomedical Sciences

描述(由申请人提供)：NIH IMSD研究生项目对密歇根大学未被充分代表的少数族裔(URM)的博士水平培训产生了巨大影响。自1997年成立以来，URM在支持的部门(生物、化学、生物化学、化学/机械工程、人类服务心理学和物理学)的参与率分别从0%、1%、0%、1%、8%和0%分别增加到14%、15%、28%、10%、13%和7%。2007年，我们的姊妹校区马里兰大学巴尔的摩分校(UMB)生命科学研究生课程(GPILS)的扩招引发了UMB在过去4年中URM GPILS招生人数急剧增长50%。自1997年以来，管理和发展学院的入学人数呈线性增长，目前有66名博士生参加了密歇根大学/密歇根大学管理与发展学院的综合方案(47名非裔美国人、13名西班牙裔、1名美洲原住民、1名太平洋岛民、4名非URM人(1名高加索人、3名中东裔妇女))。留校率(在当前资助期间为91%)达到历史最高水平，国际货币基金组织博士学位产量大幅增加，从国际管理发展学院前15年授予的6个博士学位，增加到自2001年(10年期)第一位国际管理学院研究员毕业以来授予该学院研究员的46个博士学位。在46名毕业生中，32人(70%)直接进入博士后或住院医生岗位。虽然本支助期的几乎所有数量目标都已实现，但仍然存在重大挑战。特别是，尽管在完成博士后培训的13名IMSD毕业生中，有10人在政府或行业获得了与研究有关的职位，但只有2人进入了全职教职(目前均为非终身教职)。另有7名充分就业的毕业生担任兼职、非终身教职的大学教员或教师职位。由于担任全职教师职位的URM同事可能会作为导师和榜样产生最广泛的影响，我们显然必须更好地为我们的IMSD毕业生做好准备，以应对对他们的学院兴趣产生负面影响的压力。我们尤其必须解决与NIH最近发现的负面压力有关的问题，这些发现表明，与准备相同的高加索同事相比，URM成功竞争NIH资金的可能性更小。我们现在建议对我们的IMSD研究员计划进行修改，以更好地为学术生涯做好准备--这是国家的一项主要需求。目标包括：(1)在保持高保留率的同时，IMSD招生人数继续直线增长，(2)在URM增长滞后的部门增加URM招生，(3)实施新的市中心高中外展部分，以加强早期管道，(4)实施新的资助者元素，以更好地为学生做好准备并增强信心，(5)与外部URM教员建立一对一导师伙伴关系，以促进博士课程以外的指导和支持，以及(6)实施机构间IMSD演讲者交流计划，增加高级研究员的曝光率，并帮助他们与支持性机构中高度活跃的研究科学家相匹配。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The NIH IMSD Graduate Fellows Program has had a dramatic impact on PhD-level training of Underrepresented Minorities (URM) at UMBC. Since its inception in 1997, URM participation in supported departments (biology, chemistry, biochemistry, chemical/mechanical engineering, human services psychology, and physics) has increased from 0%, 1%, 0%, 1%, 8%, and 0%, respectively, to 14%, 15%, 28%, 10%, 13%, and 7%, respectively. Expansion to the Graduate Program in Life Science (GPILS) at our sister campus, the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB), in 2007 triggered a dramatic 50% increase in URM GPILS enrollment at UMB over the past 4 years. IMSD enrollment has increased linearly since 1997, with 66 PhD students currently enrolled in the combined UMBC/UMB IMSD Program (47 African American, 13 Hispanic, 1 Native American, 1 Pacific Islander, 4 non-URM (1 Caucasian, 3 women of Middle Eastern descent)). Retention (91% in the current funding period) has reached an all-time high, and URM PhD production has increased dramatically, from 6 URM PhD degrees awarded over the 15 years preceding IMSD to 46 PhDs awarded to IMSD Fellows since our first IMSD Fellow graduated in 2001 (a 10 year period). Of the 46 graduates, 32 (70%) matriculated directly to Postdoctoral or Residency positions. Although nearly all of the quantitative objectives of the current support period have been met, significant challenges remain. In particular, although 10 of the 13 IMSD graduates that have completed postdoctoral training obtained research- related positions in government or industry, only 2 matriculated to full time faculty positions (both currently non- tenure track). Seven additional graduates who are fully employed hold adjunct, non-tenure track college faculty or teaching positions. Since URM colleagues in full time faculty positions are likely to have the broadest impact as mentors and role models, we clearly must do a better job of preparing our IMSD graduates for pressures that are negatively impacting their interest in the Academy. We must particularly address negative pressures related to recent NIH findings that URMs are less likely to successfully compete for NIH funding compared to equally-prepared Caucasian colleagues. We now propose modifications to our IMSD Fellows Program that will better prepare interested IMSD Fellows for academic careers - a major national need. Objectives include: (1) continued linear growth in IMSD enrollment while maintaining high retention rate, (2) increasing URM enrollment in departments where URM growth has lagged, (3) implementation of new inner city high school outreach components, to enhance the early pipeline, (4) implementation of new grantsmanship elements, to better prepare students and boost confidence, (5) establishment of one-on-one mentor partnerships with external URM faculty, to facilitate mentoring and support beyond the PhD Program, and (6) implementation of an inter-institutional IMSD speaker exchange program, to increase exposure of senior Fellows and help match them with highly active research scientists at supportive institutions.