Thursday, May 29, 2025
5/29/2025
Short-term Research Education to Increase Diversity - Project Summary The Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Mount Sinai) proposes to continue and the successful existing Short-term Research Education Program to Enhance Diversity in Health-Related Research. The goal of the Program is to nurture trainees who are from underrepresented backgrounds and have interests in science and medicine. We do this by enhancing their research capacity in a way that supports multidisciplinary training and long-term engagement with mentors. The proposed program will continue to build on experience gained with existing programs that have already been very successful in providing research training, offered career mentoring and guided many participating students towards achieving their professional goals. The current proposal builds on the most effective features of the program as determined through continuous and systematic long-term evaluation. First, the program is multidisciplinary. Rather than selecting mentors and projects within a particular scientific discipline, the program draws from a very diverse mentor pool who all work on different aspects of the NHLBI’s mission. The program includes mentors with expertise in community-based research, epidemiology, public health, global health, occupational health and others. This allows for students with interests ranging from molecular biology to population health to be included in the program. Second, the program has strong institutional support. It was originally founded in 1995 and has been continuously funded since then (first by NIEHS, then by NHLBI), a testament to the dedication and commitment of the participating faculty and the program director, who has directed the program all that time. Third, the program sits within a portfolio of other educational programs at Mount Sinai that expose trainees to a wealth of opportunities and career options. Finally, the program has provided long-term follow-up of student participants, creating a sense of community among trained participants, an important connection as students continue to grow in their career paths. This continuity is reassuring as trainees develop in a professional environment in which people of color and those of low socioeconomic means are still vastly underrepresented. The program has continued to evolve since its inception. In order to expand and grow, it has developed the following Specific Aims: 1) To select, train and nurture a cadre of underrepresented students and to motivate and support them in their professional development. 2) To provide students who participate in the program with long-term mentoring and guidance throughout the length of their careers. During the current iteration of the program, 38 students have participated, bringing the total number of alumni to 157. This proposal expects to add another 30 trainees to this cadre. A plan for long-term follow-up and strong evaluation strategies will continue to be incorporated in order to support underrepresented scientists at all stages in their career development.
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).