The purpose of this application is to enhance an ongoing annual workshop on the recruitment, retention, and promotion of biostatisticians of color at the annual meeting of the Eastern North Atlantic Region (ENAR) of the International Biometric Society (IBS), which is the major annual conference for biostatisticians in academia and government. The first enhancement is to add a mental health research focus in a context that stimulates future and current researchers from underrepresented minorities to pursue graduate studies and careers in biostatistics. The second enhancement is to obtain secure, long-term funding for the workshop, which since its inception in 1999 has been minimally funded by a mix of sources. With this Conference Grant, NIMH will provide continuity to the workshop so that it will receive the advanced publicity and planning necessary for drawing the necessary attendees and making the desired impact that is needed in biostatistics and mental health research. More significantly from NIMH's point of view, it will be providing prospective and current biostatisticians exposure to mental health research, which in turn will help increase the number of biostatisticians, in general, and biostatisticians of color in particular, who are committed to mental health research and related areas of biomedical comorbidities. The workshop will target undergraduates with majors in math, statistics, or quantitative psychology, from local Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Native American Tribal Colleges (TCs), graduate students in biostatistics programs, faculty members at HBCUs, HSIs, and TCs who may serve as advisors and/or mentors to the undergraduates, faculty from graduate biostatistics programs with collaborations in mental health and other biomedical areas, and statistical and mental health representatives from industry and governmental agencies. Through interactive sessions featuring workshop participants, the workshop will offer in-depth coverage of a variety of key topics in three general areas in the context of health promotion (e.g., mental health): (1) the experiences and expectations of graduate biostatistics students of color; (2) career opportunities for persons of color with advanced degrees in biostatistics; and 3) networking among students and professional from academia, industry, and government.
