Initiative for Maximizing Student Development at the University of California, Davis.

University Of California At Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The overarching goal of our IMSD at UC Davis Training Program is to increase the diversity of the biomedical research workforce by increasing the number of diverse students who complete PhDs in biomedical-related science fields. For this renewal, we propose to implement an enhanced comprehensive intervention program that has rigorous research, educational, and community-building activities specifically for first and second-year diverse graduate students. While UC Davis ranks second in the United States for producing the highest number of PhDs for Hispanic students in biological/biomedical sciences, insights gathered from our IMSD trainees and alumni through surveys, as well as interviews, indicate areas for improvement. Over the past five years, we have observed a notable rise in the acceptance rate of underrepresented (UR) graduate students from the initial offer to their formal acceptance into the life science programs at UC Davis. As part of the IMSD program, incoming trainees will engage in a pre-matriculation four-week boot camp and attend weekly seminars specifically designed for acclimating to and succeeding in graduate school. We propose to select 8 graduate students each year to participate in this two-year Program. These students will join laboratories of exceptional faculty with strong research programs, exceptional mentoring skills, and a passion for training the next generation of PhDs, as well as engage in thoughtfully developed IMSD program activities. The IMSD Training Program has four major objectives. The first objective is to increase the number of diverse students awarded PhDs in life science disciplines. As part of this objective, it is expected that our efforts will result in at least 80% of trainees completing their PhD requirements. Our second major objective is the enhancement of the mentor-trainee relationship. Our third objective is to develop the outreach/communication and career skills of the IMSD trainees. The fourth objective is to utilize program evaluations to continuously improve the program and provide expedient dissemination of the results. Unlike the current IMSD program, which provides training for students solely in their first year, the renewed IMSD program is designed to extend training over two years. In the current one year of training the focus is on well-being, oral and written communication, a sense of belonging, and rigor and reproducibility. In the proposed second year of training, our focus will shift towards career readiness skills, including enhanced oral and written communication, bioinformatics skills, qualifying exam preparation, critical thinking, and creativity skills in the biomedical sciences. Furthermore, we aim to provide increased access for students to explore a variety of career options during this extended training period and help students develop other life-relevant skills, such as financial management. We anticipate that our enrichment activities will continue to increase the diversity of the life science pipeline by facilitating the successful advancement of UC Davis PhD students to the next step of their biomedical research career.