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Principal Investigator: Diane Bimczok
Organization: MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY - BOZEMAN
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $325,205
Funding agency: National Institute of General Medical Sciences
SUMMARY
Minority graduates are significantly underrepresented in biomedical PhD programs nationwide. Montana
State University (MSU), a research-intensive public land-grant university, serves a significant number of first-
generation rural and low-income students who rarely enroll in PhD programs. Likewise, Montana is home to
twelve Indigenous tribes, with >6.5% of Montana residents considered American Indians, but only 4.7% of
MSU’s undergraduates identify as Native, and no Native Americans have graduated from MSU’s biomedical
PhD programs in the past five years. To address these inequities, we have designed an evidence-based
postbaccalaureate program, PREP-MT, to prepare underrepresented minority graduates including first-
generation, rural, low-income students and Native Americans in Montana for a successful transition into
doctoral degree programs in the biomedical sciences. PREP-MT will equip recent minority graduates (PREP
scholars) with the experience, confidence, knowledge, and research skills to become highly successful PhD
students and graduates. Specifically, our program will pursue the following Specific Aims: (1) Provide in-depth,
mentored biomedical research experiences to PREP-MT scholars; (2) Enable PREP-MT to develop
professional and career skills relevant to a successful career in biomedical science; (3) Build a professional
support network for the PREP-MT scholars to create a sense of belonging as members of the biomedical
research community. Additionally, we will perform regular program evaluations, incorporate changes to
improve the PREP-MT program, and disseminate our findings to appropriate audiences. Our program is highly
feasible, because PREP-MT is synergistically integrated with established undergraduate and graduate
research training programs at MSU, increasing the opportunities for the scholars and maximizing our
resources. Our Multi-PI leadership team is uniquely positioned to manage the proposed program, since we
have a strong background in leading collaborative research and training, promoting minority involvement in
biomedical research, and collaborating with tribal and rural communities. More than 30 faculty with biomedical
research programs from ten departments who have demonstrated a commitment to training the next
generation of scientists have agreed to serve as mentors for the PREP-MT program. All mentors will receive
mentorship training through the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experience in Research and MSU’s
Indigenous Mentoring Program. The proposed PREP-MT program is innovative, because of its focus on Native
American and first generation rural and low-income graduates and because it emphasizes instilling a sense of
belonging in our PREP participants. In summary, we are confident that the PREP-MT program will significantly
enhance biomedical workforce development by increasing the access of minority groups in Montana to high-
quality PhD programs and impactful careers.
Terms: <Address><Agreement><Alaska Indian><Alaska Native><Alaskan American><Alaskan Indian><Alaskan Native><Alaskan Native American><American Indian><American Indians><Area><Attainment Rate><Baccalaureate Degree><Bachelor's Degree><Basic Research><Basic Science><Biomedical Research><Collaborations><Communities><Cultural Sensitivity><Degree program><Development Plans><Doctor of Philosophy><Doctor's Degree><Doctorate Degree><Enrollment><Event><Exposure to><Faculty><First Generation College Students><First Generation College graduates><First Generation Students><Funding><Generations><Goals><Graduate Degree><Graduation Rates><Grant><Home><Indigenous><Individual><Individuals from minority><Individuals of minority><Inequity><Information Dissemination><Infrastructure><Institution><Interdisciplinary Research><Interdisciplinary Study><Knowledge><Leadership><Low income><Mentors><Mentorship><Minority><Minority Access><Minority Graduate Student><Minority Groups><Minority People><Minority Population><Minority individual><Mission><Montana><Multidisciplinary Collaboration><Multidisciplinary Research><NIH><National Institutes of Health><Native Americans><Participant><Ph D student><Ph D. student><Ph. D. student><Ph.D student><Ph.D.><Ph.D. student><PhD><PhD student><PhD. student><Population><Position><Positioning Attribute><Postbaccalaureate><Professional Competence><Program Evaluation><Publications><Qualifying><Reproducibility><Research><Research Methodology><Research Methods><Research Resources><Research Support><Research Training><Resources><Rural><Rural Community><Scholars Program><Science><Scientific Publication><Scientist><Social Sciences><Structure><Students><Talents><Training><Training Programs><Translational Research><Translational Science><Tribes><URM student><Undergraduate Degree><Underrepresented Ethnic Minority><Underrepresented Minority><United States National Institutes of Health><Universities><Work><Workforce Development><Writing><bridge to the baccalaureate><career><career skill><conference><convention><design><designing><dissemination of results><doctoral degree><doctoral student><education research><enroll><evidence base><experience><graduate school><graduate student><homes><improved><innovate><innovation><innovative><interest><member><minority graduate><minority undergraduate><next generation><peer coaching><peer instruction><peer led team learning><peer mentoring><peer teaching><postbac><postbacc><posters><program dissemination><programs><project dissemination><recruit><research and methods><research facility><responsible research conduct><retention rate><retention strategy><role model><rural area><rural location><rural region><skills><summit><support network><symposia><symposium><training opportunity><translation research><translational investigation><tribal Nation><tribal college><tribal community><tribal governance><tribal government><tribal self-governance><tribal university><under-representation of minorities><under-represented minority><undergrad><undergraduate><undergraduate research experience><undergraduate research opportunities><undergraduate research programs><undergraduate student><underrepresentation of minorities><underrepresented minority student>