Thursday, May 1, 2025
5/1/2025
IRACDA at Tufts University - Project Summary The goals of the Tufts IRACDA program, which began in 2019, are to provide a diverse pool of recent Ph.D. scientists with comprehensive postdoctoral training that prepares them for impactful academic careers in the biomedical sciences and to increase the involvement of under-represented groups in biomedical research. To accomplish this, the program provides a unique, scaffolded four-year training experience, with postdocs spending 75% of their time conducting research and the other 25% in career development activities, including a mentored teaching experience at three minority-serving partner institutions in the Boston area - Bunker Hill Community College, University of Massachusetts-Boston, and Suffolk University. The program will admit 4 new scholars each year, for a steady-state total of 16 scholars supported by their research mentors for the first year and IRACDA the next three. Tufts IRACDA training emphasizes foundational skills needed to establish an independent and rigorous research program, obtain external funding, mentor early-career scientists, and develop and deliver innovative courses that engage students from all backgrounds. An additional goal of Tufts IRACDA is to enhance the classroom and research experiences of students at our partner institutions. Through regular interactions with these students both in and out of the classroom, our scholars will encourage them to seek training and research opportunities that prepare them for biomedical science careers. Tufts IRACDA will also promote research collaborations between Tufts and partner faculty that will lead to joint publications, grant applications, and the development of Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) at the partner schools to expose more partner students to the scientific process. To keep our programming current and responsive to participant needs, we seek continuous feedback from our scholars, research mentors, and partner institutions. In the most recent cycle, we identified areas for improvement through surveys and interviews, and have developed new programming and partnerships that allow each scholar to better tailor individualized training for the type of academic career they are pursuing. Program outcomes, including scholar publications and placements, along with the impacts for our partner schools, are regularly monitored with the assistance of an advisory committee and an external evaluation team, and program adjustments are implemented to ensure that the outcomes match or exceed our targets for success. We have also initiated a collaboration with 5 other IRACDA programs to develop a tool to better document partner impact and share best practices. In summary, our proposed program will ensure that Tufts IRACDA scholars are well-prepared to succeed as faculty at a variety of academic institutions, while making a strong contribution to the scientific future of our nation and enhancing the diversity of the biomedical workforce.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).