International Exchange Program for Minority Students

描述（由申请人提供）：科学和卫生专业缺乏多样性是造成健康差距的主要原因。然而，进入职业生涯的少数民族学生的数量， 科学和卫生专业仍然很小，而在美国，种族之间的健康差距已经扩大。本提案中所述方案的目标是通过参加密集的国际研究培训经验，提高少数民族学生的研究能力，培养他们对科学和医学的兴趣。这种方法注重学生的长处和能力，而不是将少数民族学生视为“弱势群体”。具体目标是：（1）挑选、培训一批代表性不足的少数民族学生从事健康差距研究，以激励他们成为解决这一问题的重要参与者;（2）在地球仪、特别是拉丁美洲的伙伴机构中，建立一个少数群体受训人员与研究导师之间的长期合作机制，这种合作应是互利的，应确认受训人员对科学的潜在贡献，并提高他们研究健康差异的能力。为了实现这些目标，学生是从一个庞大的合格的候选人国家池中选择。选定的学生与巴西，智利，墨西哥，爱尔兰，南非和西班牙的导师相匹配，他们已经通过NIH Fogarty国际中心支持的现有全球健康计划与西奈山研究人员合作。在这个已建立的网络内进行培训，确保学生与导师配对，导师自己通过西奈山项目接受培训，并有富有成效的研究项目。这确保了所有学生都得到密切的指导，并融入积极的国际研究项目。自2005年以来，该计划已培训了70名学生，其中96%已完成该计划。该计划的评估表明，学生的职业生涯显着增强，通过：研究论文（发表19篇论文，2提交），在国际会议上的演讲（21篇论文），15奖学金和奖项，同行对同行的指导，提高研究技能的实践，并从国际导师和项目主任的持续指导。22名学生获得了额外的奖学金或其他奖项，与他们在这个方案的参与。这项研究计划促进双向 在学员、项目主任和国际导师之间开展协作和持续的长期职业指导，强调在支持多样性的氛围中交流科学和文化知识。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Lack of diversity in science and health professions contributes heavily to health disparities. Yet, the number of minority students entering careers in science and health professions continues to be small, at a time when the gap in health between the races has widened in the US. The goal of the Program described in this proposal is to nurture minority students' interests in science and medicine by enhancing their research capacity through participation in an intense international research training experience. This approach focuses on the students' strengths and abilities rather than seeing minority students as "disadvantaged". Specific aims are: 1) to select, train a cadre of underrepresented minority students in health disparities research in order to motivate them to become important participants in its solution; 2) To establish a mechanism for long-term collaboration between minority trainees and research mentors in partner institutions around the globe, especially in Latin America, that is mutually beneficial, validates the trainees' potential contribution to science, and increases their capacity for research in health disparities. To achieve these aims, students are selected from a large national pool of qualified candidates. Selected students are matched with mentors in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Ireland, South Africa and Spain who already have a history of collaboration with Mount Sinai researchers through existing global health programs already supported by the NIH Fogarty International Center. Training within this established network ensures that students are paired with mentors who have themselves been trained through Mount Sinai programs and have fruitful research programs. This ensures that all students are closely mentored and integrated into active international research projects. The program has trained 70 students since 2005, 96% of them have completed the program. Evaluation of the program showed that students' careers are significantly enhanced through: publication of research papers (19 papers published and 2 submitted), presentations at international conferences (21 papers presented), 15 fellowships and awards, peer-to-peer mentoring, improved practice of research skills, and continued guidance from international mentors and program director. Twenty-two students received additional fellowships or other awards related to their participation in this program. This research program fosters bi-directional collaboration and continuous, long-term career mentoring between trainees, the program director and the international mentors in a way that emphasizes exchange of scientific and cultural knowledge in an atmosphere of support for diversity.