The proposed Tuskegee University Interdisciplinary Training Program in Biomedical Research has as its major focal point the implementation of a coordinated undergraduate research training program with emphasis on biomedical research, specifically in the area of health disparity research. Through this initiative, it is the aim to train 30 African American students in research by having them address issues which significantly impact minority populations. It is anticipated that the use of this strategy will prompt more students to see the relevance of research and compel them to pursue graduate programs so that they will become significant contributors to the fight in reducing or eliminating health disparities. Therefore, the goals of the Tuskegee program are to: 1) increase the number of underrepresented minorities, particularly African Americans, conducting biomedical research and 2) increase the number of underrepresented minorities pursuing graduate study toward the Ph.D., MD/Ph.D. or other professional/Ph.D. degree. Actualization of these goals will be through the identification, recruitment, and selection of high achieving students from the areas of biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, agricultural/veterinary sciences, computer science, and chemical engineering. A highly challenging quantiative and computational-based curriculum will be followed by students and will be coupled with an extensive, continuous research experience both intramurally and extramurally. Delivery of specific research modules in many of the science courses will be from faculty who have participated in workshops and conferences that aim to strengthen pedagogical modalities. In addition, faculty will gain experience in developing curricula that enrich the research experience through the introduction of cutting-edge research and concepts. Through the mentored research experience, special seminars, and research mini-courses, students will be prepared to develop research projects that can be presented at national conferences and subsequently submitted for publication to refereed biomedical journals. The activities of the MARC students will coincide with those from other funded undergraduate programs and will lead to a transformed educational process for all of the students at Tuskegee University. Relevance: African American undergraduate students will be trained in health disparity research. It is anticipated that this training will lead to an increase in the number of minority biomedical researchers whose focus will be health disparities. It is the overall goal to reduce or eliminate the burden of disease that affects minority populations disproportionately.
