Project Summary
The Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research (MICHR) Translational Science Immersion (MICHR-
TSI) program is designed to increase diversity in the biomedical research workforce by building upon our
former Clinical and Translational Sciences Award summer research program. First offered in 2007, our former
program provided a participatory experience in translational research to students in master's degree and health
professions degree programs to ignite their passion for research. Each year the program attracted participants
from across the United States and territories with diverse research interests and backgrounds. The new
MICHR-TSI will improve upon our former program by 1) expanding our connections with minority-serving
institutions, 2) providing a structured, full-time 10-week (400-hour) research experience with intentional training
in translational science and best practices for conducting rigorous and responsible research, 3) providing an
optional additional 200 hours (part-time) of training to complete a research project and disseminate research
results, 4) expanding the areas of training focus, and 5) providing mentors with structured mentorship and
team science training including participation in MICHR's new Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accountable
Leadership in Clinical and Translational Science Initiative (IDEAL-CTS). Eligible program candidates will
include pre-doctoral graduate students and professional degree students within the first two years of their
program of study as well as undergraduate rising seniors. Key to this new R25 program is multi-level mentoring
and hands-on research experience designed to expose participants to research practice and inspire them to
pursue further training focused on translational science and its role in eliminating health disparities and
improving health care quality. We will accomplish our goals through the following aims: 1) Provide MICHR-TSI
participants with translational research experiences and translational science instruction to facilitate precision
preparation which includes obtaining a translational science certificate; 2) Equip MICHR-TSI participants with
enhanced scientific social networks to help refine and fuel their translational research engagement; 3) Develop
MICHR-TSI participants who are versatile communicators to advance their evolving careers through enhanced
dissemination of their work. The MICHR-TSI program will provide greater training inlets to MICHR and U-M, so
we can build and retain a strong pipeline of next-generation translational researchers.