Native Hawai`ians (NH) and Pacific Islanders (PI) are at risk for high rates of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure in addition to increasing rate of alcohol and substance use, and domestic violence. There is an urgent need for biomedical research to address these health issues which can effectively be done from within the community rather than from outside. Training NH/PI students in biomedical and behavioral sciences (BBS) research is the key to reducing health disparities. The highest concentration of NH/PI individuals in the United States is in the County of Hawai`i, home to the University of Hawai'i at Hilo (UHH). UHH is committed to academically and scientifically preparing its diverse student population for competitive BBS careers, including disease prevention and health promotion in a culturally appropriate way that explores traditional Hawai`ian medicines and discovers new drugs in terrestrial and marine environments. UHH has a long-standing tradition of training under-represented (UR) students through several Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS)- funded grant programs. The overarching goal of this proposal, the Students of Hawai`i Advanced Research Program (SHARP), is to increase the number of UR students [...] that will ultimately obtain their PhD degrees in BBS fields. [The UR undergraduate portion of the SHARP program will start with 4 sophomores, 4 juniors, and 4 seniors, and replace graduating seniors with 4 sophomores annually. The UR PhD portion of the project will start with 1 PhD student and 1 PhD student will be added annually.] [...] A pipeline from undergraduate research to a PhD will be achieved through the following specific aims: 1. Cultivate the development of undergraduate and graduate scientific researchers. Undergraduate and PhD students will gain research experience through research assistantships (RAships) with active faculty mentors. These year-round RAships will include opportunities for students to work on biomedical research with UHH mentors, attend national conferences, present papers and posters and publish their research. 2. Design and coordinate a scientific learning community. The scientific learning community, developed through an Introduction to Research course, will use a lecture and applied learning format with a focus on Hawai`ian health issues. The learning community will include a student seminar program of local and national scholars and a Futures Group, a more informal but rigorous circle of SHARP students working with the Program Director (PD) to mentor students and increase student interaction. 3. Creating a family and community link. This novel specific aim is to provide a family connection to increase retention rates by providing regular meetings between parents, faculty mentors, and students, as well as an open house and research symposium. 4. Direct graduation with DKICP PhD degree. A direct increase in the number of UR PhDs graduated will be afforded by the UHH PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences that is culturally relevant. The PD has previous experience with RISE, UHH has the research and student services infrastructure, and commitment from faculty mentors to ensure the success of UR students.
Native Hawaiians (NH) and Pacific Islanders (PI) are at risk for high rates of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. The University of Hawaii at Hilo is committed to preparing its diverse student population for competitive biomedical and behavioral sciences (BBS) careers, including disease prevention and health promotion in a culturally appropriate way. The overarching goal of this proposal, the Students of Hawai'i Advanced Research Program (SHARP), is to increase the number of under-represented students that will ultimately obtain their PhD degrees and pursue research careers in BBS fields.
