Research Mentorship Program in Regenerative Medicine Careers for a Diverse Undergraduate Student Body
Grant Award Details
Grant Type:
Grant Number:
EDUC5-13637
Investigator(s):
Award Value:
$2,713,400
Status:
Active
Progress Reports
Reporting Period:
Year 1
Reporting Period:
Year 2
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.
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.
