This proposal details the Diverse Neuroscientists: Doctoral Training Series (DeNDriTeS), a new program that will provide mentoring, career planning, and skill training for NYU neuroscience graduate students from diverse backgrounds as they prepare to transition to postdoctoral research positions. Through this new program, we seek to improve the placement of program participants in postdoctoral, and ultimately faculty, positions and, more generally, to prepare participants to excel in their future careers as independent neuroscientists. The program?s aims are to (a) increase mentoring capacity and cultural awareness among our faculty and the broader community; (b) provide enhanced mentoring and directed career planning for diverse students; (c) train students in necessary quantitative and professional skills often overlooked during graduate education; and (d) build community and peer mentoring through a new seminar series, networking receptions, and online platforms. To increase the effectiveness of our faculty mentors, we will run mentor training workshops designed to help program faculty define a mentorship philosophy and to develop better practices for mentoring students from diverse backgrounds. Following this training, faculty mentors will lead bi-monthly meetings for program participants throughout the academic year to supplement existing graduate program mentoring structures. A critical element that promotes retention of diverse students is integration into a strong community of peers. We will develop new opportunities, including a new seminar series and annual networking receptions, for program participants to engage with each other and with program alumni. Finally, an intensive summer workshop series will focus on quantitative, communication, and leadership skills by leveraging existing initiatives and creating new resources. Through this multi-pronged approach, we will engage program faculty and trainees in an ongoing discussion about the importance of mentorship, career planning, networking, and diversity, which will strengthen our program and contribute to a diverse community. New York University and the NYU School of Medicine are devoted to recruiting and training a diverse student body and have many initiatives in place at both campuses. DeNDriTeS will be instrumental in furthering these larger efforts to create a vibrant, interactive and inclusive community. Our program will target advanced predoctoral students, in their 3rd year or higher, who conduct neuroscience research in any graduate program at NYU. New York City is a hub for neuroscience research and diverse cultures, and once the program is well established at NYU we will develop relationships with neighboring institutions to expand the network of scholars who benefit from these mentoring and training opportunities. The inclusion of a broader community of diverse students will have a positive impact upon program participants, as they benefit from expanded connections with many more peers from diverse backgrounds. To evaluate the program?s effectiveness, an advisory board and internal evaluators will work with program leadership to track mentor training, student progress, and participant engagement.
! This proposal details a new program from New York University School of Medicine and the Graduate Program in Neuroscience and Physiology to promote mentoring, career development planning, and skill training for graduate students from diverse backgrounds as they transition to careers in research. We recognize that scientists from diverse backgrounds will bring different perspectives to the key questions of neuroscience, which is important for solving problems and promoting innovation in the field. Diversity will provide new viewpoints and a positive impact on our understanding of neurological and psychiatric diseases. !
