The major goal of this program is to increase the numbers of underrepresented neuroscientists, who will undertake research relevant to the aims of NIMH. This proposal seeks renewal of the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) in Neuroscience and requests an increase in the number of training slots to 30 pre and 8 postdoctoral trainees. This program is jointly administered by the American Psychological Association and the Association of Neuroscience Departments and Programs and operates with the endorsement of the Society for Neuroscience. The MFP program has been quite successful. At this time, 43 doctoral trainees completed all requirements for the PhD. Based on the completion rate of 62% for those entering graduate school before 1989, it is estimated that 70 trainees will earn their doctorates. Extending this program for an additional five years and selecting an additional 60 trainees will bring the total estimated number of produced doctorates to 106. The postdoctoral component of the program although smaller in absolute numbers is having an impact as well, and during the last five years 8 postdoctoral trainees participated in the program and this number will increase to 36 if the program is renewed. The success rate for postdoctoral trainees, during the last 5 year period, as measured by their transition to either a more traditional postdoctoral funding mechanism or the attainment of an assistant professor appointment, is 100%. Also requested is a continuation of the month long Summer Program in Neuroscience, Ethics and Survival (SPINES) held each summer at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL). It is felt that this one component of the program more than any other (except graduate training itself) contributes to the success of the MFP program. Students leave the MBL with a new appreciation for neuroscience, a cohort of peers that will influence their careers, training in the responsible conduct of research, exposure to successful underrepresented role models, knowledge of grant mechanisms and opportunities available in an institution like the MBL, and an increased motivation to complete graduate or postdoctoral training.
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