Pacific High Schools STEP-UP to Biomedical Research

描述(由申请人提供)：夏威夷大学约翰·A·伯恩医学院提议为太平洋地区未被充分代表的少数族裔高中生开发一个暑期生物医学研究培训和教育计划。该计划将包括夏威夷州、美属萨摩亚、关岛和北马里亚纳群岛联邦的附属(悬挂国旗)领土；以及包括帕劳共和国、密克罗尼西亚联邦和马绍尔群岛共和国在内的附属(未悬挂国旗)领土。这些太平洋社区是代表性不足的太平洋岛民中最集中的群体，他们的高等教育成功率远低于全国平均水平，而且众所周知，与NIDDK相关的疾病差异负担沉重。我们提出的研究培训计划在大多数太平洋目标社区将是史无前例的，那里没有生物医学研究基础设施和卫生研究教育。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渠道，培养有兴趣和准备从事生物医学科学教育并最终从事与NIDDK使命相关的研究事业的未被充分代表的年轻学生。为了开始实现这些目标，我们提出的“太平洋高中生物医学研究”计划将侧重于四个具体目标。目标一是每年从夏威夷招收20名高中生(代表不足；11/12年级)萨摩亚、关岛、CNMI、密克罗尼西亚联邦、帕劳共和国和马绍尔群岛共和国逐步升级到太平洋。目标2是为太平洋升级班的学生提供与NIDDK任务相关的高质量的实践研究体验，以及JABSOM暑期与研究相关的教育。目标3是通过以小型工作坊的形式向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，从而介绍和激发对生物医学研究的兴趣。萨摩亚、马绍尔群岛共和国和马绍尔群岛共和国。最后，目标4是在JABSOM招募至少20名从事与NIDDK任务区相关研究的科学家作为升级生的导师(目标1)，并为升级生制定指导计划。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接受生物医学科学高等教育方面的影响，特别是在与NIDDK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.