Project Summary: NINDS recently developed the OPEN strategy to increase the percentage of
underrepresented (UR) individuals in neuroscience research. OPEN includes summer research experiences
(SREs) that target UR undergraduate students to attract and equip them for careers in neuroscience. For
nearly 40 years, the Carolina Summer Fellows Program (CSFP) in the UNC Department of pharmacology has
provided SREs for many undergraduate students, with a high level of success in retaining these students in
academic and STEM careers. Approximately six years ago, we refocused the CSFP to target UR students to
provide research experiences, establish lifelong mentorship, and build support networks. During this time, we
have trained 22 URMs through the CSFP, with students that subsequently matriculated into master's,
doctoral, and medical programs nationwide. We have built a steady pipeline of outstanding UR fellows
primarily through close partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including the
Undergraduate Health Science Academy (Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, and Spelman
College), North Carolina Central (NCCU) and the UNC-Greensboro MARC-U Scholars program. During the
same five-year period, the Department of Pharmacology has expanded its faculty that study
neuropharmacology and neurobiological diseases. We have also had a high interest in neuroscience research
experiences in our student applicants (~20/year). However, as CSFP has been a self-funded program, we
have not been able to meet the need in this area. Therefore, we propose to create the CSFP-Neuro program
in this application which leverages the strength of our neurological disease- and neuropharmacology-focused
faculty at UNC and our established partnerships with HBCUs and minority-serving institutions to target the
UR disparity in neuroscience research. We propose to provide undergraduates with high-quality SREs in the
neurobiology of disease with faculty in the Department of Pharmacology and the UNC Neuroscience Center.
Each of our faculty and bench mentors will receive specialized training in mentoring diverse populations
designed to foster inclusive learning environments, recognize implicit biases, and enhance cross-cultural
communication. In addition to these research experiences, we will propose scientific and career mentoring,
career development, networking activities, and professional development designed to attract them to careers
in neuroscience and provide a framework for successful entry into graduate school. Our program has a long
track record of implementing these career and professional development programs to benefit students.
Further, to increase retention of our students in neuroscience research career paths, we propose to offer
ongoing mentoring, professional development, and preparation for graduate school application after the SRE.
This multipronged approach is uniquely designed to help students in our program gain the tools, experience,
and support they need to increase their success in neuroscience research careers.
