Howard University Summer Research Education Experience Program in Oral Health - Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, significant disparities in oral health persist across the United States. Strengthening the oral health research and care workforce is critical to improve the Nation's capacity to address and reduce these disparities. Howard University is a comprehensive, research-oriented private university. The College of Dentistry is one of two dental schools at a HBCU in the United States and the only dental school in the Washington, DC, area that provides extensive dental health care to local communities. Since 2016, the College and Johns Hopkins University have jointly led a Summer Research Education Experience Program (SREEP), funded by the NIDCR under PAR-13-104. During this time, 45 Howard undergraduate students participated in the program. Thirteen of these students ultimately pursued postgraduate training in the health science professions (5 in dentistry, 6 in medicine, 1 in an MD/Ph.D. program, and 1 in a Ph.D. program) after graduating from their undergraduate programs. Because the PAR-13-104 program was not renewable, we seek new funding to support and expand the SREEP. We propose a SREEP at Howard University to engage, recruit, and train Howard undergraduate students in oral health and oral health disparities research. The SREEP will be a specialized didactic and mentored academic program with a series of formal and informal research and education activities tailored to preparing undergraduate students for careers in research and health professions. Through the SREEP, we will provide full-time, eight-week summer research training for ten highly qualified students each year over the 5-year funding period. To provide effective mentoring for the students, we will 1) develop a highly networked team of motivated and skilled mentors from various disciplines by strengthening the partnership between Howard and Hopkins; and 2) develop an effective and sustainable research training and education infrastructure by establishing a three-tiered mentoring system and executive, advising, and evaluation committees. The three-tiered mentoring system involves matching each participating undergraduate to a primary mentor with a basic, translational, clinical, community-based, or public health research focus at Howard, a secondary senior mentor at Hopkins, and a career development mentor. By participating in multidisciplinary research projects and education events with experienced investigators who will serve as mentors and role models, the students will gain valuable research experience and knowledge in oral health and be encouraged to pursue advanced education in oral health and related fields. Successful completion of this program will significantly enhance the dental, oral, and craniofacial research and training environment at Howard University College of Dentistry.
