This proposal for the implementation of the Research Enrichment and Preparation Training Program (REAP -TP) is designed to promote the entry of outstanding medical students into biomedical research careers. This innovative research enrichment program represents a creative approach that provides an in-depth exposure to biomedical concepts, modern biomedical research areas, and an intensive, """"""""hands-on,"""""""" well-structured 12 week research experience. The REAP-TP will match talented medical students with fully funded NIH research faculty mentors, and the program couples the daily research experience with an ongoing series of courses, summer research seminars, peer round table research discussions, oral presentations, and mentoring from outstanding UTMB faculty. Additionally, medical students will have to opportunity to choose basic, clinical, translational or behavioral research projects. The specific objectives are: 1) To expose medical students early in their career development to the excitement and challenges of a research career and to encourage their investigative and analytical skills 2) To encourage medical students to pursue a career in basic or clinical research in the areas of diabetes, obesity, endocrine and nutritional disorders, metabolic diseases, digestive, liver and kidney diseases, urologic and hematological disorders. 3) To provide valuable experiences and references for students who hope to seek additional research training and funding in the future, 4) To increase the pool of physician scientists engaged in biomedical or behavioral research in those areas necessary to continue the mission of the NIDDK, and 5) To address the issues of health and health care disparities by increasing the pool of physician scientists performing research in those areas where minority populations are particularly vulnerable, such as diabetes, end-stage renal disease, and obesity. The REAP-TP will enrich the research background of medical students and will allow them to experience research first-hand in laboratories where outstanding faculty brings the excitement of scientific inquiry to life.
