Florida International University (FIU) proposes to establish a Transdisciplinary Biomolecular & Biomedical Sciences (TBBS) training program in the area of transdisciplinary basic biomedical sciences. FIU is the public, urban research university in Miami. As a Hispanic Serving Institution, FIU has a significant majority (77%) from historically underrepresented populations. Therefore, FIU has a proven record of recruiting, retaining and graduating minority students, and a University leadership committed to providing institutional resources to ensure successful student outcomes. We propose to create a transdisciplinary predoctoral training program with a cohort of eight participants (four students in each class) supported for two years. We will provide an interdisciplinary and collaborative setting for rigorous doctoral training in technical, operational and professional skills for basic biomedical research. There will be priority to support participants in interdisciplinary collaborations to increase the number of doctoral graduates who conduct their dissertation research across health-relevant disciplines in more than one laboratory. Students will be trained to design, implement and interpret rigorous and reproducible research. The program graduates will be well-prepared for engaging a collaborative team approach in their future career activities. We will set goals for student achievements in publications, presentations in national conferences, individual fellowship grants and on-time graduation. We will implement effective evidence-based strategies for doctoral research training, mentoring and student retention. The TBBS program will establish a diverse and inclusive community support system. We will measure the success in recruiting, retention and program completion for doctoral students from diverse backgrounds in order to monitor the validity of the evidence-based approaches. The students will have venues to develop social, management and leadership skills for a well-rounded education experience. We will assess and respond to the results from students/mentor surveys, and program evaluation so that the scientific research climate is inclusive and supportive of trainee development. This training program will prepare the students for diverse roles in the biomedical workforce by providing career workshops, network, and internship opportunities. We will track and provide publicly available information on the post-training career outcome of the graduates from this training program. We expect to increase the number of graduates who enter science related non-academic career paths immediately after obtaining their PhD degrees, versus the number of graduates who accept postdoctoral research positions in universities. We also expect to increase the number of URM graduates who proceed successfully in career paths for university teaching and non-traditional positions in the modern biomedical workforce.
Florida International University (FIU) will establish a Transdisciplinary Biomolecular & Biomedical Sciences (TBBS) training program to support high-quality training of predoctoral students by mentors in multiple departments and colleges engaged in interdisciplinary collaborations. As a Hispanic Serving Institution with a proven record of recruiting, retaining and graduating minority students in STEM, we will provide a supportive and inclusive environment for the students to develop technical and professional skills so that they will be ready for diverse roles in the biomedical workforce.
