In the first year of receiving COMPASS funds, we undertook several activities to advance recruitment including advertising for the program in several spaces on campus, e.g. digital billboard at the UCI student services building. We also had the SCRC faculty teaching undergrads send out fliers and announce the program in their freshman classes (faculty in engineering, the arts, public health, and biology). In addition, our Executive Committee member, Dr. Kevin Huie, who is involved with Undergraduate Success sent out an email announcement with the flyer to all undergraduates. UCI Campus undergraduate advisors also sent out email announcements to their students.
From April 10th to May 19th, we received 52 applications that were reviewed by our review committee. Using a rubric that scored the quality and depth of the applicant's answers and recording if the applicants were in the demographic that was appropriate for the COMPASS Scholars program. All applicants were reviewed by at least 2 reviewers. Upon completion of the application review process, we paired the applicant list down to the top 20% (10 applicants). Our interview committee then conducted interviews outside of normal business hours to accommodate the student’s busy schedules from May 24th to May 30th. The interview committee then deliberated and selected the top 10% (5 candidates) for the COMPASS Scholars’ program. Award letters and contracts were sent out on June 2nd.
Our COMPASS Scholars are required to complete: 1) a 10-week integrative summer bootcamp training, 2) three didactic requirements in Regenerative Medicine and Scientific Method, Public Health Disparities, Sociology, Political Science, and/or Bioethics, 3) two years of research under a mentor, 4) Good Manufacturing Practice and Clinical Research Coordination certificate programs, and 5) completing a capstone project. We are tracking their progress throughout the program to make sure they fulfill their requirements by the end of the two-year scholarship period.
The 10-week summer bootcamp was scheduled for June 26th to September 1st. The COMPASS scholars all moved into the summer housing on June 25, 2023.
Summer Research Education Training Program Committee (SRETPC): consisted of Dr. Brian Cummings, the PI of the COMPASS grant, Dr. Dana Creasman, a postdoc who led the wet lab exercises, Dr. Monique Williams, the Academic Coordinator who led the execution of the program and the morning sessions and assisted in the wet lab exercises. Dr. Aileen Anderson, the SCRC Director. Dr. Jonathan Hasslemann, a postdoc who helped plan sessions, coordinated with the Stem Cell Core manager, and served as a guest instructor in the wet lab exercises. Allia Fawaz, the microscopy core and building manager, lead the microscopy training sessions. Anita Lakatos, the CRISPR core manager, lead the statistics sessions. Vanessa Scarfone, the Flow Cytometry Core manager, lead the flow cytometry sessions. Pauline Nguyen, a flow cytometry core assistant, assisted Vanessa during the flow cytometry sessions. Christina Tu, the Stem Cell Core manager, was the instructor for the cell culture sessions. Additional staff that were part of the strategic planning included: 1) Randy Berg, the CAO, and lead pre-award and arranged housing, 2) Abbie Enriquez, project analyst, assisted Monique in any activities, 3) Rachelle Narvas, project analyst, assisted in the planning of activities, and 4) Chris Nishi, the Financial Officer for the grant provided accounting and budget support.
Tracking Scholar Progress and Assessment of Retention throughout the Program: Since retention is important to the success of the program, we tracked how the scholars were feeling through a feedback form that was sent out each week. We encouraged the scholars to fill in the form to let us know how they were feeling: overall, about their interactions between the instructors/cohort, about the different sessions that week, and to share anything they felt we needed to know. At the end of the program, we had the scholars debrief with us in person and in survey form.
We were successful in launching the program, but we had to put the program together quickly. The Academic Coordinator, Dr. Monique Williams, was hired in May of 2023. With her efforts alongside the SRETPC, we were able to create a 10-week integrative training program for the summer of 2023 in record time. For next cycle, we have plans to address these challenges. We intend to start advertising the application process much earlier to give ample time to get more applicants from all demographics, additional time to review the increased number of expected applications and prepare a more detailed training program. In addition, we have learned that it would be better to notify the next cohort of their acceptance into the COMPASS program earlier so that they can adjust their summer house and summer courses accordingly.
Reporting Period:
Year 2
For the second year of COMPASS, we advertised for the program in several spaces on campus where undergraduate students would see the announcements, including digital marquis at the UCI student services building and yard signs throughout campus. We also had the SCRC faculty teaching undergrads send out fliers and announce the program in their freshman classes (faculty in engineering, the arts, public health, and biology). In addition, our Executive Committee member, Dr. Kevin Huie, who is involved with “Undergraduate Success” sent out an email announcement with the flyer to all undergraduates. UCI Campus undergraduate advisors also sent out email announcements to their students. We also reached out to the different undergraduate groups and resource centers on campus: including Veteran Affairs, LGBTQ organizations, and Black Student Unions. Applications were open from December 14, 2023 to February 18, 2024. We did extend the deadline to March 4th to allow for more applications. We received 69 applications that were reviewed by our review committee. The review committee used a rubric that scored the quality and depth of the applicant's answers and recorded if the applicants were in the demographic that was appropriate for the COMPASS Scholars program. All applicants were reviewed by at least two reviewers. Upon completion of the application review process, we culled the applicant list down to the top 15% (~10 applicants). Our interview committee then conducted interviews outside of normal business hours to accommodate the student’s busy schedules from April 3rd to 7th, 2024. The interview committee then deliberated and selected the top 5 candidates for the COMPASS Scholars’ program. Award letters and contracts were sent out the week of April 8th.
Our COMPASS Scholars are required to complete: 1) a 10-week integrative summer bootcamp training, 2) three didactic requirements in (a) Regenerative Medicine and Scientific Method, (b) Public Health Disparities, and (c) Sociology, Political Science, and/or Bioethics, 3) two years of research under a mentor, 4) Good Manufacturing Practice and Clinical Research Coordination certificate programs, and 5) completing a capstone project. We are tracking their progress throughout the program to make sure they fulfill their requirements by the end of the two-year scholarship period.
The incoming cohort’s 10-week summer bootcamp was scheduled for June 24th to August 30th, 2024.
Since retention is important to the success of the program, we tracked how all scholars in both tracks were feeling through a feedback form that was sent out each week. We encouraged the scholars to fill in the form to let us know how they were feeling overall, about their interactions with the instructors/cohort, about the different sessions that week, and to share anything they felt we needed to know. At the end of the program, we had the scholars debrief with us in person and in survey form.
After several months of preparation with all three strategic planning and executive committees, we were able to launch our summer sessions at full capacity for both the incoming and returning cohorts. The incoming cohort was able to successfully design an experiment and execute it with little supervision. Our returning cohort successfully completed both certificate training programs and were awarded a total of 10 official certificates (for the five scholars in the two programs) through the UCI School of Medicine Office of Medical Education. We did make the following adjustments for this year: We started preparing for the summer sessions earlier, as early as December 2023, and started advertising the application cycle in December 2023 We had one month to review the increased number of expected applications We added an orientation a month before summer began for the incoming and returning cohort We began creating the lectures and making adjustments to all summer session sections We also notified the accepted cohort and the reappointment of the returning cohort earlier to prevent them from enrolling in summer courses.
For next year, we intend to continue preparing earlier for the summer session by advertising and running the application cycle beginning in December 2024, adding pre-program assignments for summer bootcamp scholar preparation. We will also work to get their summer stipend arranged earlier, incorporate more team-building opportunities, and incorporate the Capstone Symposium at the beginning of the summer session so the incoming, returning, and completing cohorts can all be together for a few hours. We have also incorporated a report card that will be used to monitor how the scholars are progressing in the program (if they are fulfilling their requirements, and the program administrators can adjust it as necessary). For the certificate training programs, there will be efforts to improve certain sections that will be more beneficial to all trainees in the programs.
Reporting Period:
Year 3
For the third year, we advertised the program in areas with high undergraduate students, including digital marquis at the UCI student services building and yard signs throughout campus. We had SCRC faculty teaching undergrads send out fliers and announce the program in their freshman classes (in engineering, the arts, public health, and biology). Dr. Kevin Huie, who is involved with “Undergraduate Success”, sent out an email announcement to all undergraduates as well as the Campus undergraduate advisors. We also reached out to the different undergraduate groups and resource centers on campus: including Veteran Affairs, LGBTQ organizations, and Black Student Unions. Applications open from December 2024 to March 2025, with a one-week extension to allow for more applications. We received 83 applications that were reviewed by our review committee. The review committee used a rubric that scored the quality, depth of the applicant's answers, and recorded if the applicants were in demographics appropriate for the program. At the end of the review process, we culled the applicant list down to the top 13% (11 applicants) and held interviews outside normal business hours to accommodate the students’ busy schedules from April 11-14. The interview committee then selected the top 5 candidates for the program. Award letters and contracts were sent the week of April 15th.
Our Scholars are required to complete: 1) a 10-week integrative summer bootcamp training, 2) three didactic requirements, 3) two years of research under a mentor, 4) GMP and CRC certificate programs, and 5) completing a capstone project. We are tracking their progress throughout the program to make sure they fulfill their requirements by the end of the two-year scholarship period.
The incoming cohort’s 2025 10-week summer bootcamp was June 23-August 29. The scholars moved into campus summer housing on June 22nd and moved out on August 30th. The certificate training programs were scheduled for June 23rd to August 29th. They participated in the Alpha Clinic Clinical Research (CRCTP) and GMP Facilities Facility Operations (FOTP) Training Programs.
Summer Research Education Training Program Committee for COMPASS Bootcamp: The committee consisted of Dr. Brian Cummings (PI of grant), Dr. Linh Vuong (postdoc wet lab lead), Dr. Monique Williams (Program Manager, Co-Director, and Morning sessions lead), Dr. Jonathan Hasselmann (Design an Experiment Lead), Allia Fawaz (Microscopy Sessions lead), Dr. Anita Lakatos (Lead CRISPR workshop), Vanessa Scarfone (led the flow cytometry sessions) with Pauline Nguyen (assisted Vanessa during the flow cytometry sessions), Christina Tu (instructor for the cell culture sessions), Dr. Josh Karam (postdoc that led the statistics sessions). Additional staff were Dr. Randy Berg (CAO), Abbie Enriquez (assisted with logistics), Kristina Yan (assisted in the planning of activities), and Chris Nishi is the Financial Officer.
Tracking Scholar Progress and Retention: We tracked how all scholars in both tracks were feeling through weekly feedback forms. Scholars were encouraged to share how they were feeling overall, their interactions with the instructors/cohort, the different sessions that week, and anything they felt we needed to know. At the end of the program, we had the scholars debrief with us in person and in survey form.
This year we launched our summer sessions at full capacity for both the incoming, returning, and completing cohorts. The incoming cohort successfully designed an experiment and executed it with little supervision. Our returning cohort successfully completed both certificate training programs and were awarded 10 certificates (five scholars in the two programs) through the UCI School of Medicine. Our completing cohort presented their Capstone projects. We did make the following adjustments for this year: we started preparing for the summer sessions earlier and started advertising the application cycle in December 2024. We added a hybrid orientation session a month before summer began for the incoming and returning cohort. We began creating lectures and adjusting all summer session sections. We also notified the incoming and returning cohort earlier to prevent them from enrolling in summer courses that conflict with COMPASS summer courses.
For 2026-2027, we intend to continue preparing earlier for the summer session by advertising and running the application cycle in December 2025, adding pre-program assignments for summer bootcamp scholar preparation. We will also work to get their summer stipend arranged earlier, incorporate more team-building opportunities, and have the Capstone Symposium the first week of the summer session so the incoming, returning, and completing cohorts can all be together for a few hours. We will continue to use the report cards that help monitor the scholars progress in the program (if they are fulfilling their requirements, and the program administrators can adjust as necessary).
Grant Application Details
Application Title:
Research Mentorship Program in Regenerative Medicine Careers for a Diverse Undergraduate Student Body
Public Abstract:
Our Research Mentorship Program in Regenerative Medicine Careers for a Diverse Undergraduate Student Body will train 1st generation and under-served students, particularly undeclared majors and/or those are at risk of dropping out of college. COMPASS Scholars will be paired with a faculty mentor in the spring of their Sophomore year. Mentors will have had Implicit Bias and Culturally Aware Mentorship training. All Scholars will enroll in summer enrichment programs (supported by full tuition and a stipend) where they will learn hands-on lab skills, human cell culture, an introduction to good manufacturing procedures, and earn a certificate in Clinical Research Coordination (CRC). Scholars will also enroll for a minimum of 2 units credit in BIO199 (mentored research) over 8 quarters in across two years (~560 hours), culminating in a Capstone Project. The Capstone Project will be: (A) Excellence in Research presentation, (B) Excellence in Research paper, or (C) Presentation of their internship results at an annual conference, in parallel with a CIRM Bridges conference, or via a 1⁄2 day conference hosted at the Stem Cell Research Center. This program will train 25 Scholars over five years.
Scholars will be required to enroll in at least one regenerative medicine and/or scientific method undergraduate course, at least one course on public health disparities, and at least one course in sociology, political science, or bioethics of health. Ancillary activities include training in responsible conduct of research, preparation of individual development plans (IDPs), Diversity Equity and Inclusion 101, public speaking skills and elevator pitches, meetings with patients and patient advocates, attendance at monthly Stem Cell Research Center scientific presentations, and helping host the Center’s Public Seminar Series. Scholars will host high school students during the seminars and help manage the audience and field questions.
Our program has 63 full-time faculty and >60 postdocs. 40 faculty have already agreed to mentor COMPASS Scholars; more mentors will be added in year two. Activities within the Center include basic and translational stem cell research using multidisciplinary approaches, such as cell biology, genomics, computational biology, bioengineering, pre-clinical development, and clinical applications/practice. Faculty are also engaged in understanding the stem cell field in the wider context of health disparities and ethics, fostering the capability of Scholars to act as ambassadors for the field in society at large. Faculty members have taken a bench to bedside path to various stages of preclinical and clinical development. There are training and research opportunities across a wide range of topics including new cell sorting and manufacturing methods, biomaterials to control development, 3D cultures and fused organs, health disparities and bioethics, to research leading trials for retinal repair, brain injury, stroke, ALS, and Huntington’s disease.
Statement of Benefit to California:
Our experience with first-generation and under-served students across multiple CIRM Bridges programs documents that these students progress to successful careers in regenerative medicine and that the vast majority of Bridges Interns remain in the state of California. So too, we believe our COMPASS Scholar’s Program will prepare a diverse cadre of undergraduates for careers in regenerative medicine, targeting untapped talent within populations that are historically under-represented in the biomedical sciences. By teaching general research, networking, and communication skills to at risk undergraduates, and combining these skills with hands-on training in stem cell biology and public outreach, we will be supplying California with a well-trained workforce of COMPASS Scholars ready for successful careers in public health and regenerative medicine.
Our program will give Scholars the opportunity to explore a variety of ways in which their research skills can be applied towards improving human health through career paths in both the public and private sectors. A parallel objective is to foster greater awareness and appreciation of diversity, equity and inclusion in trainees, mentors, and other program participants. There are shortages of individuals skilled in stem cell manufacture and good manufacturing procedures; there are shortages of Clinical Research Coordinators who help establish clinical trials and enroll/track patients in those trials. The more diverse these individuals are, the better they will connect with a diverse patient population and bring a wider range of patients into the clinical trial pipeline. The COMPASS Program will produce a cadre of well-trained individuals who are ready to contribute to the workforce.
Further, there is a graduation “gap” between first generation and under-served undergraduates and their second generation or more socioeconomically stable peers. The UC accountability office calculated that this graduation rate gap means that students graduating in four years as opposed to six will have $100,000 to $150,000 reduced educational expenses and additional wages. We expect that the vast majority of our COMPASS Scholars will graduate in four years, saving themselves and their families via reduced college costs and loans, and putting tax dollars back into California’s economy as they begin careers in high paying jobs. If we reduce the excess time to graduate in half (~$62,5000) for our 25 Scholars, this would return a benefit of $1,562,500 to the State of California over the course of this grant.
