Wake Forest School of Medicine Short-Term Research Experience Program to Unlock Potential

维克森林医学院释放潜力的短期研究体验计划(WFSM Step-Up)计划将为生物医学科学中代表性不足(UR)的高中生提供培训，以增强参与国家糖尿病、消化和肾脏疾病研究所(NIDDK)任务重点研究的行为和临床研究队伍的多样性。该计划将利用WFSM和该地区合作机构在糖尿病、肥胖症、肾脏疾病和相关合并症领域建立的广泛的多学科研究。WFSM Step-Up将利用创造性的招聘策略，提供实践研究接触、最先进的研究和专业技能培训、职业发展资源和持续的多层次指导，以加强参与者注册本科生物医学学位课程的意图，并为大学招生和研究工作做好准备。该计划将致力于不仅提供技术专业知识，而且还提供建议、洞察力和职业发展技能。培训体验和指导将在为期8周的夏季体验和9个月的后续行动中提供，其中将包括与参与者定期举行的基于网络的指导会议、职业发展网络研讨会和其他专业技能。我们每年将支持25名WFSM进阶实习生，他们将被安置在一流研究密集型大学的优秀导师那里。项目主管(PD)拥有丰富的学术和专业经验，在增加生物医学科学多样性方面有着悠久的合作历史，在培训项目管理方面拥有广泛的专业知识。项目教师包括研究导师，他们是公认的科学家，在同行评议的出版物和外部支持方面具有很高的生产力，为WFSM入门培训人员提供各种研究机会；以及职业导师，他们将提供职业和专业技能建议。我们的教职员工在WFSM Step-Up项目教职员工中有很好的代表性，许多人参加了类似的以多样性为重点的培训项目。计划目标：有两个目标旨在满足NIDDK Step-Up计划公告中概述的目标。目标1：提高对患有糖尿病、肥胖症和肾脏疾病的不同人群面临的独特挑战以及解决这些问题的研究机会的认识。招聘活动将提供一个论坛，让对这项研究感兴趣的UR学生申请WFSM Step-Up计划。目标2：在夏季期间扩大参与卫星站点的带薪研究实习机会，在那里将提供实践研究、最先进的培训、职业发展资源和持续指导，以增加参与与糖尿病、肥胖和肾脏疾病相关的健康差距研究的UR学生的数量。

The Wake Forest School of Medicine Short-Term Research Experience Program to Unlock Potential (WFSM STEP-UP) program will provide training to high school students under-represented (UR) in biomedical science to enhance the diversity of the behavioral and clinical research workforce involved in National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) mission-focused research. The program will take advantage of the broad, multidisciplinary research established in the areas of diabetes, obesity, kidney disease, and related comorbidities at the WFSM and partner institutions in the region. WFSM STEP-UP will utilize creative recruitment strategies to provide hands-on research exposure, state-of-the art research and professional skills training, career-development resources, and ongoing multi-level mentorship to reinforce participants’ intent to enroll in an undergraduate biomedical science degree program and prepare them for university admissions and careers in research. The program will dedicate efforts towards providing not only technical expertise, but also advice, insight, and career development skills. Training experiences and mentoring will be delivered during a 8-week summer experience and a nine-month follow-up that will include regular web-based mentoring meetings with participants, career-development webinars, and other professional skills. We will support 25 WFSM STEP-UP trainees annually, who will be placed with outstanding mentors at top-notch research intensive universities. The Program Directors (PDs) have vast academic and professional experiences, a long history of collaborations to increase diversity in biomedical sciences, and extensive expertise in training program administration. Program faculty include research mentors who are established scientists with high levels of productivity in terms of peer-reviewed publications and extramural support, offering a wide variety of research opportunities to WFSM STEP-UP trainees; and career mentors that will provide career and professional skills advisement. UR faculty are well-represented among WFSM STEP-UP program faculty, and many have participated in similar diversity-focused training programs. Program Goals: Two goals are designed to meet the objectives outlined in the NIDDK STEP-UP program announcement. Goal 1: To increase awareness of the unique challenges facing a diverse population living with diabetes, obesity, and kidney disease and of the opportunities for research that addresses these issues. Recruitment activities will provide a forum for reaching UR students with an interest in this research to apply for the WFSM STEP-UP program. Goal 2: To expand opportunities for paid research internships at participating satellite sites during the summer year where hands-on research exposure, state-of-the art training, career- development resources, and ongoing mentorship will be provided to increase the number of UR students involved in health disparities research related to diabetes, obesity, and kidney disease.