The CSUSM Bridges to the Baccalaureate (CSUSMB2B) program supports the NIH/NIGMS goal of increasing the diversity of the biomedical workforce by increasing the successful transfer rates of under-represented (UR) groups from community colleges to 4-year institutions. The CSUSMB2B program, located in north San Diego County California, includes the partner institutions of California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), Palomar College and MiraCosta College. This Bridges Supplement Proposal aims to directly address issues of culture, diversity, and equity for our student trainees and the faculty who mentor them by developing two training workshops. These workshops will create opportunities to build participants? capacity and skills to co-create safe and inclusive research environments and experiences. Each workshop will provide training that, while overlapping in theoretical frameworks, is specific to student and faculty roles in the research and mentoring relationship. By having common threads and concepts, we hope to create shared learning opportunities, values, and support authentic conversations between student trainees and faculty mentors. The specific activities include: 1) creating a cross-divisional and cross-campus team for the development and delivery of formal training curriculum, 2) developing a student trainee workshop, and 3) developing a faculty mentor workshop. Furthermore, these workshops will be institutionalized with campus partners to be made available to all interested STEM faculty and students. Over the past 17 years, the CSUSMB2B program has been very successful, averaging a 92% transfer rate to four-year institutions, and 88%,16% and 14% have completed or are finishing a bachelors, masters or doctoral degree respectively. The proposed program builds on the experience and institutional support of these partner institutions to continue to support the mission of NIH/NIGMS.
The education and training of underrepresented groups for professional research careers in the biomedical sciences through CSUSMs Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program will serve to advance the goal of NIH. The Bridges supplement initiative is designed to directly address issues of culture, diversity, and equity for our student trainees and the faculty who mentor them by developing two training workshops. These workshops will create opportunities to build participants? capacity to co-create safe and inclusive research environments and experiences.
