Monday, November 25, 2024
11/25/2024
Increasing diversity in biomedical research enhances the talent pool, broadens the scope of scientific questions addressed, and increases the impact of science in society. People of color, women, individuals with disabilities, and socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals remain underrepresented in the research workforce. Community colleges are critical to efforts to enhance the size and diversity of the biomedical workforce. Intentionally designed, structured training programs are essential to ensure students successfully transfer to a bachelor-degree granting institution and persist in biomedical sciences through undergraduate degree completion and beyond. This proposal aims to establish a Bridges to Baccalaureate Program (BtB) in partnership between California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) and Allan Hancock Community College. The mission of BtB at Cal Poly is to recruit, mentor, and train ten students per year to complete baccalaureate degrees in the biomedical sciences. The multi-faceted program consists of one-year of research skills training and academic and transfer support at Allan Hancock College, followed by a robust curriculum post-transfer at Cal Poly. The one-year Cal Poly curriculum includes mentored research, two seminar courses that enhance conceptual and technical research skills and responsible conduct of research. Both years of the program, students will have formal mentoring teams, develop individual develop plans, experience culturally informed strength coaching and enrichment events that draw on decades of research on effective programs to build science skills, values, self-efficacy and science identity. The specific and measurable objectives of BtB at Cal Poly are to improve transfer and graduation rates for BtB trainees. We also expect trainees will experience improvements over two years in the following: Conceptual, technical, operational, and professional skills in biomedical research; science identity; science and research self-efficacy; and sense of belonging in biomedical research. We will also assess institutional efforts in essential transfer practices at both institutions. BtB at Cal Poly addresses the urgent need to diversify the biomedical workforce by promoting a culture of collaboration between institutions and among students and mentors. Students will access state-of-the-science opportunities, engage with motivated mentors, and receive an inclusive training program that captures the ongoing process of understanding and deconstructing structural inequalities in the biomedical field.
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).
