The specific aim of our REVISED competitive renewal application is to continue our short- term diversity research education program that focuses on providing an inspirational, intense, perspective and career transforming experience in inflammation and immunologic research at the University of Colorado to underrepresented undergraduate students (?diversity students?) from Princeton, Notre Dame, Colorado, New Mexico, and many other universities. Our program design will target and recruit 8 students per summer from Princeton, Notre Dame, and Colorado universities that do not have medical schools on their undergraduate campuses and New Mexico which has a medical school but many diversity students. After initial selection that includes consultation with Dr. Repine by a diverse and inclusive committee at each university (STEP ONE), each trainee will be chosen by Dr. Repine and his advisory committee (STEP TWO). Directed by an experienced mentor, trainees will conduct laboratory research for 10 weeks designing their own project, performing hands-on research, attending daily interactive research discussions (e.g., data analysis, presentation approaches, ethics), participating in complementary clinical conferences, receiving career advice from admissions directors, and diversity students, shadowing clinical physicians, and being integrated into our diversity activities and social community. Students will present a formal scientific poster at our closing ceremony. The innovative features of our program is our comprehensive approach that focuses on NHLBI relevant inflammatory and immunologic mechanisms of health and disease and integrates research training, medical perspectives, career counseling, and social activities. Trainees also become part of a nationwide mix of engaging and motivating students. Our success is well documented by independent yearly evaluations by School of Medicine Office of Education Evaluation experts who indicate our high impact on the first 20 diversity students who are universally achieving NIH goals by (1) becoming more knowledgeable and enthusiastic about research and research careers, (2) establishing continuing mentor relationships, (3) continuing in research, (4) being accepted to health professions schools, and (5) actively promoting our program to new candidates. Our program director is John E. Repine, MD ? an experienced physician-scientist-teacher who directed our program for the last 5 years. Each student will also have extensive contact with many diversity and non-diversity faculty members who conduct research. Short- and long-term outcomes of the program will again be assessed independently by our educational evaluation experts. The significance of our program will be to motivate and increase the likelihood that uncommitted students will consider additional biomedical research training and biochemical research careers.
Our program will address the need for recruiting and motivating more students of diversity into careers in biomedical research. Our program will recruit and train 8 undergraduate students of diversity from Princeton, Notre Dame, Colorado, New Mexico, and other universities. Students will be trained in NHLBI relevant inflammation and immunologic research at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus for 10 summer weeks each year. The significance of our program will be to increase the likelihood that these high quality diversity students will pursue and be better prepared for additional training and careers in health professions biomedical research.
