Physician-Scientist Research and Medical Education (PRIME) Program - ABSTRACT Racial and ethnic diversity in the biomedical research workforce produces higher quality science, expands the national research agenda, and increases clinical trial participation among underrepresented populations. Nevertheless, racial and ethnic diversity in the biomedical research workforce remains low, and the United States Congress has cited the lack of diversity in the biomedical research workforce as a serious concern. Diversity among physician-scientists is particularly important. Because of their expertise in clinical medicine and scientific research, physician-scientists play a valuable role in the biomedical research enterprise, and diversity among physician-scientists is essential to generate impactful science. Although Increasing diversity is a national imperative, evidence-based interventions remain elusive, and a lack of diversity in the biomedical research enterprise persists. In 2020, despite comprising 13% and 19% of the U.S. population, only 2% and 5% of NIH R01 grants were awarded to Black and Latinx scientists, respectively. In order to meaningfully disrupt this lack of representation and advance the science of workforce diversity, our group, the Promoting Diversity, Group Inclusion and Equity (ProDiGIE) research lab will address three fundamental knowledge gaps. First, through an innovative positive- deviance study design, we will identify evidence-based interventions to increase the racial and ethnic diversity of trainees pursuing a career as a physician-scientist. Second, we will identify strategies to promote and sustain physician-scientist professional identity formation among trainees underrepresented in science. Third, we will identify interventions to foster the success of faculty in academic medical centers, which receive over two-thirds of all NIH funding. The proposed research program will comprehensively and systematically investigate interventions to promote diversity across the physician-scientist career span from trainees to NIH-funded faculty.
