EXCEED THE SPACE PROVIDED. The goals of the program are 1)to encourage undergraduateand professional students in under- represented minority (TJRM) groups to elect a career in the health professions and/or biomedical research especially as it relates to heart, lung, blood or sleep disorders; 2) to provide students with a realistic understanding of the biomedical research environment through in an experiential setting; 3) to provide students with basic ethical principles governing research and the practice of the health professions; 4) to provide students with an understanding of the requirements to pursue an academic and /or research career; 5) to assess the impact of the program on career direction. These goals will be approached through a Short-Term Research Program experience for undergraduateand professional students during the summer months and lasting 12weeks. By accomplishing these goals, there should be an increase in the number of TJRM students entering into and being retained in the health professions as minority scientist and health practitioners. We will recruit undergraduate URM students primarily from the schools where experience has shown us most of our trainees have come from in the past: the Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Maryland and campuses of the University Systemof Maryland. Trainees selected will be selected by a committee of potential mentors based on the students responses to questions and material provided in the application, i.e., recommendations, ability to communicate effectively, stated goals, and, to a lesser extent, their GPA. Faculty evaluators will provide the Program Director with a 'priority score' that will be used to assign students on a rolling basis to one of several mentors whose research the applicant has indicated to be of interest During the summer, trainees will attend a Colloquium on Science that includes breakfast and a chance to meet the deans of the schools and selected facultywho, in addition to their mentor, can act as role models. These will be followed by research seminars and lectures on the ethical and responsible conduct of research. Students will be give the opportunity to meet with various health practitioners and delve into the complexities of professional life. A Student Research Forum at the end of the summer will provide students with the opportunity to ubmit a scientific abstract, present their work to their peers and mentors as oral or poster presentations, and to summarize their work in a scientific report. The impact of the program will be assessed by questionnaire sent to the trainees and faculty both before and after the program. In the long-term, studentswill be tracked for 10years to determine their eventual career choices. PERFORMANCE SITE ========================================Section End===========================================
