PROGRAM SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Progress in treating and preventing a range of disabling neurological conditions is severely hampered by a
shortage of underrepresented minority (URM) clinician-researchers in neurology in the US. To help fill this
gap, we propose the BRAIN (Building Research Aspirations In Neurology) R25 program at NYU Langone
Health. The BRAIN program is an interdisciplinary program that will introduce undergraduate students
interested in the neurosciences to clinical neurology research that focuses on reducing the burden of
neurologic disease. There are significant healthcare disparities in terms of neurologic disease severity and
issues related to access to care within underserved populations, and it is unknown whether certain treatments
are better for certain ethnic and racial groups. Thus, with the growing shortage of neurologists, the aim of
BRAIN is to improve the neurology pipeline and to conduct research that helps advance knowledge and
treatment of these burdensome conditions. Students in the program will learn about translational
neuroscience, epidemiology, and patient-centered research. To train and develop young clinician
researchers to meet the urgency of this health need, eight to ten undergraduate students, the majority of
whom are from URM groups, who attend undergraduate institutions within NYC, will be selected to participate
in an intensive 10-week hands-on research and education training each summer followed by an extended
learning experience throughout the academic year. During the academic year, students will continue their
research with the intent to submit and present their research at regional and national meetings, and publish
their findings in peer-reviewed publications. There will be monthly BRAIN meetings which will include career
development sessions on topics such as leadership development and time management, and scheduled
check-ins to ensure the students are on track with their abstract and manuscript preparations and
submissions. In summary, the BRAIN program will comprise education on conducting and communicating
research as well as performing an individual or small group -based research capstone project. We will track
both short-term performance metrics of the BRAIN program and longer-term impacts on career trajectories for
students completing the BRAIN program. We expect BRAIN students will continue their education by entering
medical school to pursue a career in clinical research, and that ultimately, beyond the timeline of this program,
pursue a neurology program and consider a career as a clinician -researcher in neurology.