G-RISE: Graduate Research Initiative for Student Advancement at The City College of New York

City College Of New York, New York NY

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

The rationale for the proposed G-RISE project encompasses dual needs: to improve the quality and to broaden the demographic reach of advanced biomedical research workforce training in order to benefit human health care. A group of 34 faculty members at The City College of New York (CCNY) will leverage a position of research strength in the biomedical sciences, within a large public university in the heart of an underserved community, to address these needs. This renewal project will build on the success of our current program to offer coordinated, innovative, and rigorous Ph.D. training that spans biochemistry, biophysics, bioorganic chemistry, engineering, and neuroscience disciplines. The proposed program will support cohorts of 15 Ph.D. trainees from underrepresented (UR) groups each year for five years, appointing each trainee for 2-3 years. The mission of the proposed program is to complement rigorous didactic and research training with inclusive mentorship and professional skills development for these Ph.D. trainees, while also benefitting a broader population of STEM trainees and mentors at CCNY. Our specific objectives and strategies are: · To recruit and retain talented UR Ph.D. trainees whose biomedical research interests align with the participating CCNY faculty-led teams. Vigorous recruitment will be coupled with sound mentee-mentor matching in a supportive and inclusive training environment that builds research identity bolstered by a strong trainee cohort and a Near-Peer Mentor. · To graduate Ph.D.’s who have rigorous didactic training that combines disciplinary depth with interdisciplinary breadth while progressively building independent research design skills. Interdisciplinary degree tracks and team teaching will be emphasized. · To graduate Ph.D.’s with research training that fosters individual skills and creativity, team cooperation, synergy among research groups, and increasingly independent use of state- of-the-art technology to address important open problems in the biomedical sciences. · To graduate Ph.D.’s whose training is enriched by co-curricular activities that build skill sets in communication, ethical and reproducible research, and career exploration. · To achieve trainee outcomes that include enhanced proportions of UR Ph.D.’s who achieve timely graduation in biomedical science and engineering disciplines, while also improving their research productivity and post-Ph.D. placement in the workforce. In the proposed project, a strategic combination of NIH and institutional resources will allow us to improve the reach and rigor of biomedical research training at the City College of New York.