Research training and biomedical education (original) (raw)
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Academia Letters, 2021
©2021 by the authors-Open Access-Distributed under CC BY 4.0 tors associated with the disproportionate burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in African-Americans, nationwide data continue to show a shortage of underrepresented minorities in key public health and biomedical careers, as well as a low chance of underrepresented minorities, especially, African Americans, being awarded grants to conduct independent research.[3,4] The purpose of this report is to share the contributions of Jackson State University (JSU) and its JHS investigators towards increasing the interest and representation of African American scholars in biomedical research, and ultimately in public health and biomedical careers. Methods The JSU JHS Graduate Training and Education Center (GTEC) team includes Dr. Clifton Addison, Dr. Gregory Wilson, Dr. Brenda Jenkins, Dr. Monique White who have been foundation members of the JHS team, having worked, not only to develop the JHS from the beginning stages of the study, but also develop the JHS Coordinating Center,[5] the first of its kind at a HBCU. In addition, the GTEC team includes the renowned, Physician, Epidemiologist, Public Health Scientist, Dr. Marinelle Payton, who currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and PI of GTEC.The team of JSU investigators have worked tirelessly to make groundbreaking strides, building a foundation of excellence in graduate training in cardiovascular epidemiology. These activities have positioned JSU as a leader in the field, setting an example, and serving as a model for other institutions to follow. The JSU JHS GTEC investigators accepted the responsibility for leading JSU's efforts in cardiovascular disease research and training new biomedical and public health scientists through the JSU JHS GTEC network.This work enables the team to promote two very important mandates, one is national, and the other is local.On the national front, the National Institutes of Health and its NIH strategic plan emphasizes a commitment to research that improves minority health and reduces health disparities.[4] The NIH supports programs and activities like those developed by JSU JHS GTEC. The JHS GTEC is the first Graduate Training and Education Center ever affiliated with an NIH funded study, the JHS. On the local front, the new JSU Elevate Strategic Plan[6] introduced by JSU's President Thomas Hudson outlines how JSU will meet the challenges and expectations and the university's prioritizations, in particular, Goal #3-Research Excellence. The GTEC team acknowledges, recognizes and welcomes the university's pledge to continue striving towards research excellence.
Ethnicity & disease, 2020
In 1999, Tougaloo College (TC), located in Jackson, Mississippi, was charged, as a part of its role in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), with creating a pool of well-trained high school students who, upon entering college, could successfully complete undergraduate and graduate or professional degrees in the health professions, biomedical research, and public health. TC identified the following educational challenges experienced by Mississippi high school students: inadequate exposure to reading, writing, logic, and quantitative skills; inadequate course work in science and mathematics; lack of mentors and role models in science-related fields as well as for exploration and identification of career options in the health professions and biomedical research. To this end, the JHS Undergraduate Training and Education Center (JHS UTEC) developed three four-week summer workshops in Science, Language Arts, and Mathematics (SLAM) for high school students in grades 9 through 11. Since SLAM's...
Advances in Physiology Education
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) aims to increase diversity in research and health-related careers. The SURP provides underrepresented minority (URM) and disadvantaged students with research, mentoring, and networking experiences; real-life surgical observations; and simulated cardiovascular demonstrations. A post-program survey was developed to assess program outcomes and explore ways of improving the program to stimulate URM and disadvantaged students' interest in research and health-related careers. This is a report of those post-program survey findings. Using a survey research design, an online survey was emailed to participants (N = 88). Data was collected for 6-weeks beginning March 2020. There were 37 multiple-choice and open-ended questions regarding education, career choices, and program experiences. Responses were downloaded to statistical software for analyses. Quantitative data were analyzed using des...
Preparing African Americans for careers in health care: the Jackson Heart Study
Ethnicity & disease, 2005
The Jackson Heart Study Undergraduate Training Center (UTC) at Tougaloo College was developed to increase the numbers of African-American students entering public health and health related fields. The UTC includes a scholars program for undergraduate students at Tougaloo College, three four-week programs for high school students called the SLAM (science, language arts, and mathematics) workshops, and an introductory epidemiology course for healthcare professionals and graduate students. The scholars program recruits 12 Tougaloo College freshmen annually for the duration of their undergraduate education. As of the 2005 summer, 512 students have enrolled in the SLAM workshops. The introduction to epidemiology course has provided training for 155 individuals from 1999 to 2004. This paper documents the need for this program based on the conspicuously small proportion of African Americans who are health practitioners in Mississippi. The content and selection process for each program is d...
DIVERSIFYING BIOMEDICAL TRAINING: A SYNERGISTIC INTERVENTION
Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 2010
For over three decades, the scientific community has expressed concern over the paucity of African American, Latino and Native American researchers in the biomedical training pipeline. Concern has been expressed regarding what is forecasted as a shortage of these underrepresented minority (URM) scientists given the demographic shifts occurring worldwide and particularly in the United States. Increased access to graduate education has made a positive contribution in addressing this disparity. This article describes the multiple pathway approaches that have been employed by a school of medicine at an urban Midwest research institution to increase the number of URM students enrolled in, and graduating from, doctoral programs within basic science departments, through the combination of R25 grants and other grant programs funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This article outlines the process of implementing a strong synergistic approach to the training of URM students through linkages between the NIH-funded "Bridges to the Doctorate (BRIDGES)" and "Initiative for Maximizing Graduate Student Diversity (IMGSD)" programs. The article documents the specific gains witnessed by this particular institution and identifies key components of the interventions that may prove useful for institutions seeking to increment the biomedical pipeline with scientists from diverse backgrounds.
Biomedical Science Undergraduate Major: A New Pathway to Advance Research and the Health Professions
Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 2017
are not well prepared regarding the breadth of scientific knowledge required, communication skills, research experience, reading and understanding the scientific literature, and significant shadowing (for M.D.-related professions). In addition, physician scientists are a needed and necessary part of the academic research environment but are dwindling in numbers. Intervention: In response to predictions of critical shortages of clinician investigators and the lack of proper preparation as undergraduates for these professions, the Biomedical Science (BMS) undergraduate major was created at The Ohio State University to attract incoming college freshmen with interests in scientific research and the healthcare professions. The intent of this major was to graduate an elite cohort of highly talented individuals who would pursue careers in the healthcare professions, biomedical research, or both. Context: Students were admitted to the BMS major through an application and interview process. Admitted cohorts were small, comprising 22 to 26 students, and received a high degree of individualized professional academic advising and mentoring. The curriculum included a minimum of 4 semesters (or 2 years) of supervised research experience designed to enable students to gain skills in clinical and basic science investigation. In addition to covering the prerequisites for medicine and advanced degrees in health professions, the integrated BMS coursework emphasized research literacy as well as skills related to work as a healthcare professional, with additional emphasis on independent learning, teamwork to solve complex problems, and both oral and written communication skills. Supported by Ohio State's Department of Internal Medicine, a unique clinical internship provided selected students with insights into potential careers as physician scientists. Outcome: In this educational case report, we describe the BMS undergraduate major and its outcomes after 10 years of implementation. Major outcomes include the strength of the major's matriculates (average ACT score D 32.6; average high school class percentile rank D 95.5) and the high percentage of BMS students who pursued graduate/professional degrees (91%; n D 110). Other markers of success include the strong focus on research, which resulted in 120 articles published by graduates to date (range D 0-12/student; 43% with at least 1 peer-reviewed journal article). Lessons Learned: Based on its successes, adoption of a similar program at other academic medical centers would help feed the pipeline of well-trained health professionals and biomedical researchers.
A Plan to Facilitate the Early Career Development of Minority Scholars in the Health Sciences
Social Work in Public Health, 2010
The EXPORT Health Project at the Center for Minority Health, University of Pittsburgh, partnered with the Center of Excellence in Minority Health at Jackson State University to design and present a Summer Research Career Development Institute (SRCDI) in 2005 and 2006. The goal of the SRCDI was to enhance the early academic career survival skills of postdoctoral and junior faculty investigators doing research on minority health disparities. Institute organizers seek to increase the number of minority investigators who are successful in securing faculty appointments and independent funding through federal agencies. The Pittsburgh/JSU SRCDI admitted a total of 55 (26 in 2005; 29 in 2006) outstanding postdoctoral fellows and assistant professors, from institutions across the U.S. Elements of this model can be exported to other institutions to assist minority faculty in achieving their career goals.
Journal of Latinos and Education, 2020
The Biomedical Freshman Research Initiative (BFRI) is a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), a hispanic-serving institution. Our analysis showed that BFRI participation was associated with retention in the BS in Biomedical Science program and at UTRGV. No significant difference in academic achievement and graduation in 4 years was observed. The results from this study suggest that BFRI is a promising avenue to provide more opportunities for students to be exposed to and participate in research early on and retain them in the science pipeline at a lower cost and manpower.
2009
The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the admission process for an undergraduate research program in health science and to assess the students' statement of purpose for entering the program. Admission data (high school marks, supplementary application information, and overall rater score) and first-year GPA were analyzed for the 2003-2004 inaugural class (n=55, mean age 17.9 [SD 1.0] years, 61.8% female and 38.2% male). Although the stated purpose of the program is to educate future health researchers, nearly half (43.6%) indicated that their reason for entering the program was to help them to gain admission to medical school. Final high school grades and overall rater scores were the best indicators for first-year performance (multiple R=.66; 42.9% of the variance).