This proposal for a Research and Academic Enrichment Training Program (RACE TP) is designed to promote the entry of outstanding underrepresented and disadvantaged minority students into biomedical research careers. This innovative research and academic enrichment program represents a creative approach that provides an exposure to biomedical concepts, modern biomedical research areas, and an intensive """"""""hand-on"""""""" 10-week research experience. RACE TP matches individual students with research faculty mentors, and the program couples the daily research experience with an ongoing series of minicourses, workshops, roundtable discussions and weekly evening social events. An additional component of academic enrichment consisting of intensive study skills and GRE/MCAT prep courses is designed to increase the level of academic competitiveness in order to facilitate the trainees matriculation into graduate or medical school. The specific objectives are: 1) To provide an intensive, short-term research opportunity so that minority students will develop an interest in cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematological, and sleep disorders research; 2) To provide mentoring for minority students at a critical time of career decision making in order to bolster the already short supply of minority biomedical investigators; 3) To encourage the development of participants investigative skills which may stimulate an increased level of interest and enthusiasm for a career in research; 4) To expose minority students to the medical school environment and provide these students with study skills and GRE/MCAT courses to enhance their prospects for matriculation and academic success; 5) To provide targeted, intensive mini courses for minority students in order to improve their basic biomedical concepts and skills; and 6) To recruit these talented students into the MD, PhD, or combined MD/PhD programs at UTMB or other universities. These objectives will be met by using our existing network of partnering institutions, pre-health advisors, faculty, alumni, and current students to help identify and recruit these students so that they can experience biomedical research first-hand in laboratories where outstanding faculty mentors bring the excitement of scientific inquiry to life. The subsequent entry of these students into professional careers will be tracked to determine outcomes and evaluate the success of the program.
