Strengthening the Biomedical Workforce through Excellence in Boston University's Summer Program in Neuroscience - The Summer Program in Neuroscience (SPIN) at Boston University School of Medicine is a unique, annual 8-week program in which 10–15 undergraduate students perform mentored neuroscience research, receive instruction in graduate-/medical-level neuroscience, and observe clinical activities focused on the diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders. In the classroom, students meet with decorated medical school teaching faculty and learn basic and clinical neuroscience through small-group interactive sessions, analysis of clinical and research problems and cases, analysis of brain structure using microscopic brain sections and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans, as well as hands-on exploration and dissection of human brains. For the research portion of the program, students are paired with a faculty member from a basic science or clinical department and conduct a mentored research project, the results of which are presented at a public conference that closes the session. In the clinic, students rotate on neurology and neurosurgery inpatient and outpatient services, attend brain cuttings sessions in the hospital morgue, and review radiographic studies with working neuroradiologists. These three aspects of the program intersect to generate a nuanced education in the structure and function of the brain in health and disease from both research and clinical perspectives. To help participants integrate SPIN experiences with their future, sessions are held that focus on scientific skills and career development, including sessions on applying to graduate and medical schools, developing oral presentation skills, and interview skills. End-of-program interviews with prior participants indicate students felt that SPIN was a life-changing experience that encouraged and helped them pursue further graduate and medical education. Although we have made every attempt to recruit students broadly, the tuition-based model has produced a significant barrier to outstanding individuals. Funding from this proposal would subsidize the cost of participating in the program (tuition and housing) and provide stipend support for six scholarships. We will recruit outstanding students on the basis of academic merit and demonstrated research potential, especially those who would otherwise face financial or logistical barriers to participation. We also propose to change the program to target specific scientific skills and expand programming of career development. Finally, we will implement a thorough real-time tracking and evaluation plan to follow our students and measure the impact of the program on their career choices through the establishment of digitally-based interactions and communities. The goal of this proposal is to provide talented students access to formative experiences and training that will guide them toward successful biomedical careers and strengthen the preparedness of the biomedical workforce.
