An analysis of the results from the Survey of Earned Doctorates revealed that in 2013, only 4% of those awarded doctoral degrees in the biological / biomedical sciences were Black or African-Americans and 7% were Hispanics or Latinos. For those awarded doctoral degrees in the health sciences, 12% were Black or African-Americans and 4% were Hispanics or Latinos. To address the urgent need to create a diverse biomedical research workforce, the University of Massachusetts Medical School has launched the Pathway to Graduate Study Program in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Our program offers an outstanding opportunity to enhance student academic preparedness and laboratory-based or clinical research experience. The goal of the program is to prepare students so that they are competitive for admission into top-tier graduate programs. This institutionally supported post-baccalaureate training program has met with success. We therefore seek to expand our research education training program with this grant. The goals of our expanded program include: 1) The recruitment of eligible scholars from national and local pools of candidates, resulting in a diverse trainee population with respect to disciplinary perspectives; 2) To provide to PREP scholars strong mentoring teams, academic training tailored to their research goals and tailored to build on previous educational and research experiences; and opportunities to hone technical skills and professional skills (e.g. writing, presentations, time management) necessary to enhance academic preparedness for graduate school; 3) To provide ?hands on? research experience embedded within research-intensive UMMS Departments, Centers, and Institutes. Our breadth of mentors, scientific disciplines, and academic programs offers the flexibility to individualize each trainee's experience while providing a strong foundation to increase the likelihood of future academic success. We expect that at least 75% of the PREP scholars will matriculate and successfully complete graduate programs contributing to the diversification of the trainee population, and workforce, in the biomedical and behavioral sciences.
Efforts to improve the diversity of the biomedical and behavioral research workforce are important. This training program expands an initiative to provide opportunities for under-represented minority students to gain valuable academic preparation and research experience in preparation for graduate training. By increasing the diversity of the biomedical and behavioral science workforce, the efforts of this proposal will enhance research efforts and positively impact health outcomes.
