International Exchange Program for Minority Students

描述(由申请者提供)：科学和卫生专业缺乏多样性极大地造成了健康差距。然而，进入职场的少数族裔学生数量 在美国不同种族之间的健康差距拉大之际，科学和卫生专业的规模仍然很小。该计划的目标是通过参加密集的国际研究培训体验，提高少数民族学生的研究能力，从而培养他们对科学和医学的兴趣。这种方法着眼于学生的优势和能力，而不是将少数族裔学生视为“弱势”。具体目标是：1)挑选和培训一批在健康差距研究方面人数偏少的少数族裔学生，以激励他们成为解决健康差距问题的重要参与者；2)建立少数族裔受训者与全球，特别是拉丁美洲伙伴机构的研究导师之间长期合作的机制，这是互惠互利的，确认受训者对科学的潜在贡献，并提高他们研究健康差距的能力。为了实现这些目标，学生是从全国范围内的合格候选人库中挑选出来的。选定的学生将与巴西、智利、墨西哥、爱尔兰、南非和西班牙的导师配对，这些导师已经通过NIH Fogarty国际中心支持的现有全球卫生项目与西奈山研究人员有合作历史。在这个已建立的网络中进行培训，确保学生与导师配对，这些导师本身已经通过西奈山项目接受过培训，并拥有卓有成效的研究项目。这确保了所有学生都得到了密切的指导，并融入了积极的国际研究项目。自2005年以来，该项目已培养了70名学生，其中96%的学生完成了该项目。对该项目的评估显示，通过发表研究论文(已发表19篇论文和提交2篇论文)、在国际会议上发表演讲(已提交21篇论文)、15项奖学金和奖项、同行辅导、改进研究技能实践以及国际导师和项目主任的持续指导，学生的职业生涯得到了显著的提升。22名学生获得了额外的奖学金或其他与他们参与该项目相关的奖励。这项研究计划促进了双向 学员、项目主任和国际导师之间的合作和持续、长期的职业指导，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.