Document text
Principal Investigator: BRIAN C LEWIS
Organization: UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $165,302
Funding agency: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
Abstract
The University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School seeks funding to continue its summer undergraduate
research program for undergraduates from groups traditionally underrepresented – by race, ethnicity, economic
and education disadvantage and disability status – in the biomedical sciences. The research training
opportunities available through this short-term training experience span the range from basic to translational to
clinical/epidemiologic research. Therefore, the program is very well suited to support the research interests of a
broad range of trainees. Many of these research training experiences are in areas supported within the research
portfolio of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Importantly, UMass Chan Medical School provides a
very intensive research environment attracting almost $300 million in research funding in 2021.
The NIH funded program will support 16 trainees annually, a number readily justified by the large number of high
caliber applications received by the program each year. The program also benefits from sustained and significant
investment by UMass Chan in the form of personnel and direct financial support. This financial support provides
funds each year for an additional 10 trainees, most of whom do not meet NIH eligibility criteria. This support
additionally allows the program to provide critical activities and materials for the trainees, the costs of which are
not allowable under the NIH award.
The UMass Chan summer undergraduate research program is a highly structured residential program. Students
perform research in a group aligned with their interests. Students are introduced to critical tenets of Responsible
Conduct of Research that support rigor and reproducibility and ethical research conduct. Students enhance their
scientific communication skills through a series of small group sessions led by junior faculty and postdocs,
culminating in a poster presentation at the end of the program. A research lecture series and luncheon research
discussions expose participants to a broad range of research areas, potentially expanding the range of their
scientific interests, while also expanding their professional networks. Networking sessions with key leaders and
program directors at UMass Chan demystify the application process for doctoral degree programs and provide
additional opportunities for network growth. Program-organized social activities, to which former program
participants are invited, support social and professional networks. Program participants are also included in
institution-wide social activities at which current UMass Chan students are present, to enhance their sense of
belonging at the institution.
Participant outcomes indicate the impact of the program. Of 550 unique NIH-funded participants, 249 (45%)
have completed or are enrolled in a doctoral degree program - 185 in MD or DO programs, 54 in PhD programs,
and 10 in combined MD/PhD programs. Continued NIH funding will allow this successful program to continue for
an additional five year period.
Terms: <Area><Award><Behavioral Research><Behavioral Sciences><Biomedical Research><Blood Diseases><Caliber><Cardiovascular Diseases><Clinical><Communication><Communities><Degree program><Development><Disability status><Doctor of Philosophy><Doctor's Degree><Doctorate Degree><Economically Deprived><Economics><Educational Background><Eligibility><Eligibility Determination><Enrollment><Environment><Epidemiologic Research><Epidemiologic Studies><Epidemiological Studies><Epidemiology Research><Ethics><Ethnic Origin><Ethnicity><Event><Faculty><Financial Support><Funding><Generalized Growth><Goals><Growth><Health><Health Occupations><Health Professions><Hematologic Diseases><Hematological Disease><Hematological Disorder><Human Resources><Institution><International><Investigators><Investments><Laboratories><Lung Diseases><MD students><Manpower><Massachusetts><Measures><Medical><Medical Research><Medical Students><NHLBI><NIH><National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute><National Institutes of Health><Outcome><Participant><Ph D student><Ph D. student><Ph. D. student><Ph.D student><Ph.D.><Ph.D. student><PhD><PhD student><PhD. student><Postdoc><Postdoctoral Fellow><Process><Protocol Screening><Pulmonary Diseases><Pulmonary Disorder><Race><Races><Reproducibility><Research><Research Assistant><Research Associate><Research Personnel><Research Support><Research Training><Researchers><Science><Series><Social Network><Structure><Students><Tissue Growth><Training><Training Programs><Underrepresented Students><United States National Institutes of Health><Universities><Work><blood disorder><cardiovascular disorder><career><career fair><career networking><college><collegiate><cost><developmental><disability><disease of the lung><disorder of the lung><disparity in ethnic><doctoral degree><doctoral student><economic><economic disparity><economically disadvantaged><educationally disadvantaged><enroll><epidemiologic investigation><epidemiology study><ethical><ethnic based disparity><ethnic disadvantage><ethnic disparity><ethnic inequality><ethnic inequity><ethnicity disparity><experience><financial assistance><graduate student><health science profession><improved><interest><lectures><lung disorder><medical college><medical school students><medical schools><meeting><meetings><member><ontogeny><personnel><post-doc><post-doctoral><post-doctoral trainee><posters><professional networking><programs><racial><racial background><racial origin><research associates><responsible research conduct><school of medicine><skills><social><social organization><speed networking><success><support network><training opportunity><undergrad><undergraduate><undergraduate research experience><undergraduate research opportunities><undergraduate research programs><undergraduate student>