This R25 research education application entitled: 'Frontiers in Aging and Regenerative Medicine (FrARR),' responsive to PAR-12-016, trains and mentors promising junior and senior undergraduates from predominately underrepresented communities in sophisticated aging research, and encourages and supports them as they embark on graduate studies. FrARR offers: first, dynamic training courses, then nurtured Mentor-Trainee partnerships enhanced by guidance from Senior Mentors and peer-peer mentoring, enriched by annual symposia and scientific retreats, with quantitative tracking of career trajectories. The courses are offered at HBCU institutions, i.e. Xavier University (years 1 & 4), Morehouse (years 2 & 5) and Meharry (year 3), under the overall directorship of Gerald Schatten (Pittsburgh) and S. Michael Jazwinski (Tulane), with Shubha Kale Ireland (Xavier), Winston Thompson (Morehouse), and Ayman Al-Hendy (Meharry). Our Advisory Board of Scientific Counselors, composed of acclaimed experts in the fields of aging, regeneration and health disparities, oversee this initiative. The five specific aims are: I. Engendering the enthusiasm, passions and commitments to scientific careers embraced by the faculty provides intellectual and emotional underpinnings for supporting undergraduate trainees as they complete their MSTEM degrees. This is accomplished via conceptual education and laboratory training, focused on diseases and disorders relevant to aging and African- American communities. Didactic training includes: A. Biology of Aging and Stem Cell Models; B. Neurobiology of Aging and Alzheimer's disease; C. Muscle and Bone Aging; D. Reproductive Aging; and E. Epigenetics and Environmental Modulators of Aging, along with complementary labs. II. Fostering candid regarding current barriers to the recruitment and retention of our most talented researchers and training in responsible conduct of research, ethical, legal and societal implications, and especially problems of minority health disparities in research. III. Motivate, Enable and Sustain Trainees as they transition to professional careers, with mentored research projects and on-going career advice. Enhance their growing interests by their presentations at the Annual Reunion Symposia at Woods Hole contemporaneously with the MBL's Aging Course. Course alumni provide peer-peer mentorship. IV. Encouraging and empowering trainees and alumni by guiding them through the graduate application and matriculation processes so that they are rapidly and smoothly able to initiate doctoral studies in aging research and regenerative medicine. V. Evaluate, Improve and Monitor FrARR's strengths and avoid weaknesses with quantitative independent mechanisms, track trainees' achievements comprehensively and longitudinally, to ensure that these precious funds can be quantitatively demonstrated as wise, cost-effective and fruitful investments. In summary, our overall goals are to provide comprehensive sophisticated training in research strategies and career launching for underrepresented trainees to advance the scientific workforce pioneering the Frontiers in Aging and Regenerative Medicine.
The research workforce does not represent the full rich diversity of America and this R25 research education application entitled: 'Frontiers in Aging and Regenerative Medicine (FrARR),' responsive to PAR-12-016, seeks to rectify this unacceptable situation. It trains and mentors promising junior and senior undergraduates from predominately underrepresented communities in sophisticated aging research and encourages and supports them as they embark on graduate studies. FrARR offers: first, dynamic training courses, then nurtured Mentor- Trainee partnerships enhanced by guidance from Senior Mentors and peer-peer mentoring, enriched by annual symposia and scientific retreats, with quantitative tracking of career trajectories. The courses are offered at HBCU institutions, i.e. Xavier University (years 1 & 4), Morehouse (years 2 & 5) and Meharry (year 3), under the overall directorship of Gerald Schatten (Pittsburgh) and S. Michael Jazwinski (Tulane), with Shubha Kale Ireland (Xavier), Winston Thompson (Morehouse), and Ayman Al-Hendy (Meharry). Our Advisory Board of Scientific Counselors, composed of acclaimed experts in the fields of aging, regeneration and health disparities, oversee this initiative. In summary, our overall goals are to provide comprehensive sophisticated training in research strategies and career launching for underrepresented trainees to advance the scientific workforce pioneering the Frontiers in Aging and Regenerative Medicine.
