The primary objective of the UCSC IMSD Program is to increase the number of underrepresented minority students who receive the Ph.D. in the biomedical sciences and related fields. We intend to do this by focusing on two populations of students. First, we aim to increase the number of undergraduate students who pursue and obtain the Ph.D. Second, we aim to continue to expand the numbers of minority students in our own Ph.D. programs. In each of the last two decades our campus has nearly doubled the number of IMSD participants that have gone on to complete the Ph.D. In the upcoming decade we need to continue to increase the rate of Ph.D. achievement. We propose the following strategies to meet our objectives: 1) Promote individual undergraduate research experiences. 2) Give undergraduates the tools to gain entrance into graduate programs. 3) Provide students with skills to excel in graduate studies. 4) Increase URM graduate enrolled in UCSC biomedical-related training programs. 5) Create and maintain a climate that is welcoming to UCSC URM graduate students. 6) Build student leadership skills that advance successful research careers. The major components of our undergraduate program are: 1) an intensive summer training program; 2) immersion of undergraduates in faculty research programs during the academic year; 3) a weekly Undergraduate Research Reports course for all participants; 4) an office and support staff to provide academic guidance, personal counseling, and career advice; 5) a Tutoring for Excellence program. The comprehensive graduate program provides 1) Ongoing Personal Counseling and Career Advising, 2) financial support, 3) Academic Leadership Academy, 4) Mentoring Workshop, and 5) participation as instructors in the undergraduate seminar and journal club courses. Most importantly, we have a community of faculty, staff, and students that support each other and share a commitment to significantly increasing the participation of underrepresented minorities in biomedical research.
The community of research scientists in the USA must become more representative of the diverse population if we are to meet the medical needs of all who live here. The primary goal of the project is to prepare students from underrepresented groups for research careers in the biomedical sciences. Additionally, students supported by this grant will be contributing to a wide variety of biomedical-related research projects during their training. In most cases their mentors will be principal investigators of NIH R01 grants.
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