The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Medical Research Scholars Program (MSRP) is a public-private partnership supported jointly by the NIH and generous contributions from the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the American Association for Dental Research, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Colgate-Palmolive Company, as well as alumni of student research programs and other individual supporters. In the 2015-2016 NIMHD has continued a collaboration, initiated in 2014, to work with the NIH Clinical Center, Office of Clinical Research Training and Medical Education, providing $500,000 of support for the MRSP to encourage and promote the expansion of recruitment and diversity of the incoming class of 2016-2017. The MRSP offers a yearlong, mentored research experience in clinical and translational medical research for medical, nursing, osteopathic and veterinary students on the NIH Bethesda campus. Students selected for the program are supported by a stipend and resources for educational enrichment including housing, and travel to scientific meetings. NIMHD extramural and intramural personnel are closely involved in outreach efforts to increase the awareness s of this program to university and medical professional schools that are training a large percentage of under-represented minorities. This includes online seminars to discuss the application process and the criteria school deans offices should use for recommending potential applicants.
