Diversifying the scientific workforce will improve the accuracy of research and bring new ideas to the field.
That’s what two Cleveland researchers want to accomplish through a new program that aims to provide educational and mentorship opportunities for undergraduate students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds who are interested in careers in clinical or transactional science.
The National Institutes of Health recently awarded a five-year grant totaling $540,000 to support the Intensive Summer Education Program in Transactional Research for Underrepresented Students (INSPIRE-US).
Twenty-five students will participate in this 10-week summer program featuring classroom instruction and mentorship opportunities at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ and its affiliated teaching hospitals, including the MetroHealth System, Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals.
The grant application was written by Dr. J. Daryl Thornton, a critical care specialist and pulmonologist and director of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine and the Center for Health Equity, Engagement, Education and Research at MetroHealth, and Dr. Ronald Hickman Jr., the Ruth M. Anderson Professor and associate dean for research at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½.
Thornton and Hickman previously collaborated with a group that created the Population Health Equity Research fellowship, a two-year program that trains MetroHealth physicians and advanced practice providers in population health research.