PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Science advances better when we have a diverse research workforce; efforts to advance substance use
research and addiction science are no different. Towards this advancement, and in response to PAR-19-246,
we propose the Addiction Scientists Strengthened through Education and Training (ASSET) program
designed to improve long-term engagement of a diverse addiction scientist workforce to meet the growing U.S.
need for effective prevention and treatment of substance use disorders. ASSET Core Faculty who will mentor
trainees are themselves diverse leaders in substance use research, from basic scientists to clinical
researchers to public health researchers. Together we are well positioned to train future leaders in the field of
addiction science, leaders who themselves will be empowered and inspired to provide education, mentorship
and training to nurture future addiction scientists from underrepresented groups. Our proposed ASSET
program will leverage existing San Diego State University (SDSU), University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
educational resources and training capacity, along with mentorship from core faculty to support postdoctoral
fellows, addiction psychiatry clinical fellows, and junior faculty in their professional growth to become
independent substance use/addiction scientists and clinical researchers. Our program will include a two-level
‘mentoring the mentor’ component where faculty mentors will meet to discuss their mentorship experiences
and coach each other on honing mentorship skills for diverse trainees. Trainees themselves will develop skills
to overcome common barriers to research career growth. Our ASSET program will offer trainees a team of
experienced and diverse mentors, coupled with an internship program with targeted training, research and
funding opportunities focused on substance use and addiction science. Our specific objectives are to: 1.
Develop a short-term (10-week) internship program (ASSET) with interdisciplinary research and career
development training for URM postdoctoral fellows, clinical addiction psychiatry fellows, and junior faculty
(trainees) who aspire to become independent researchers in addiction research; 2.Provide URM trainees with
research knowledge, skills, and mentored career development training to become independent researchers
and leaders in the field of substance use and addiction science, including ‘hard skills’ – manuscript writing, &
grantsmanship to effectively and confidently design and conduct studies on substance use and ‘soft skills’ –
network-building, negotiation, and managing issues commonly faced by URM investigators; 3.Train URM
ASSET trainees in the responsible conduct of research with human subjects, with special consideration given
to working with URM and disadvantaged populations in cross-cultural settings; and 4. Promote URM trainees’
transition to independent research by offering ASSET trainees peer-reviewed developmental ‘seed’ grants and
travel grants for them to gain critical, hands-on, professional experience on formulation of a successful
research proposal and ‘prime the pump’ in substance use research and addiction science.