Rochester Bridges to the Doctorate for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (D/HH) Students (RB2D). - Deaf and hard-of-hearing (deaf) people are starkly underrepresented among PhD-holding biomedical scientists.
The long-term goal of the Rochester Bridges to the Doctorate (RB2D) for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students
program is to increase the number of deaf students who enter PhD programs in biomedical science fields, and
the number of deaf students who successfully earn their PhDs in biomedical sciences. Two institutions with a
track record of commitment to this goal, the University of Rochester (UofR) and Rochester Institute of Technology
(RIT), partnered together for the RB2D program. RIT is a major Master of Science (MS) degree granting
institution and home of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), the foremost higher education
institution of deaf students. UofR awards biomedical research PhDs, has a research-intensive academic medical
center, and is home to the National Center for Deaf Health Research (NCDHR), a component of the UofR Clinical
& Translational Science Institute. The two institutions have a successful history of partnering together on training
programs for deaf students in biomedical sciences, including for 10 years on RB2D (R25), on the Rochester
Partnership to Advance Research and Academic Careers of Deaf Scholars that focuses on deaf postdoctoral
scholars, and the new Deaf Hub. This new RB2D will advance deaf biomedical science, advance formal and
informal learning environments for the linguistically and culturally diverse deaf community in Rochester, and
broaden the public’s awareness of what deaf biomedical research scientists can do. Additionally, there will be
an increase in the number of faculty and labs who work effectively with deaf Trainees. These objectives are
based on success rates from the current R25 RB2D program, and because of pervasive small numbers, would
represent significant increases in the population of deaf biomedical scientists. The program will host a total of 5
Trainees each year, with expected appointments of 2 years. To accomplish the objectives and the long-term
goal of RB2D, the program will provide four semesters and one summer of research experiences, typically with
experiences at both RIT and UofR labs, coursework both in Trainees’ degree fields as well as specialized courses
in topics such as scientific writing that have been specifically developed with deaf students in mind. Additionally,
Trainees will participate in curricular activities such as professional development that incorporates strategies to
overcome barriers that deaf students and biomedical scientists encounter, and be integrated into the brand new
Deaf Hub at RIT/NTID to provide a robust network at the intersection of the deaf community and biomedical
research. The program will facilitate the success of deaf scientists, primarily by supporting RB2D Trainees in
preparing for biomedical research PhD programs and biomedical research careers, but also by supporting RB2D
mentors in effectively working with deaf Trainees, which will increase the visibility of deaf scientists at an
institutional level and beyond, and in turn lead more deaf students to enter biomedical science research
programs.
