# Summer Research Program for Diversity Students in PharmacoNeuroImmunology

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2021 · $107,979

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The R25 Summer Research Program in PharmacoNeuroImmunology (PNI) provides 6 underrepresented
undergraduate students of diversity each year an intensive laboratory-based research experience to increase
their participation in biomedical graduate research programs. The R25 PNI program is a successful summer
program which has trained 16 undergraduate students of diversity to date (additional 6 coming in the summer of
2020). The summer research program stems from our well-established NIDA-funded T32 PNI training program,
which will provide engaged expert faculty mentors and a community of pre- and post-doctoral trainees to actively
train and mentor the summer students supporting the mission of the PNI summer program. There is a well-
recognized need to train biomedical scientists in an interdisciplinary and translational field that focuses on the
interactions of drugs of abuse with the nervous and immune systems, and integrates our understanding of these
physiological interactions with their behavioral counterparts. We will accomplish this by offering an intensive 10-
week research experience that will provide qualified undergraduate students of diversity the necessary academic
and research skills to ensure their competitiveness toward entering the next phases of their career - i.e., doctoral
programs or medical school. The PNI summer program is part of the comprehensive Life Science Undergraduate
Research Program (LSSURP) at the University of Minnesota. The PNI summer program is composed of an
intensive laboratory-based research experience that entails close interaction with and mentorship by a program
faculty member (n=31) that focuses on drug abuse research. This laboratory work is supplemented by a
comprehensive educational curriculum, which includes seminars by program faculty on topics in biomedical
research, ethics, and laboratory safety, and a focused student research poster symposium. An innovative
component of our PNI program proposal is to deliver education modules with small group discussion. In addition,
Dr. Jesse L. Mason, an alumnus of LSSURP and the T32 PNI training program, will provide a series of sessions
for PNI summer students targeted toward dealing with adversity as a diverse student. To support the goal of the
R25 Summer program, we propose two specific aims: 1) To provide an interdisciplinary structured research
experience in the area of PNI, especially as it pertains to drug abuse; and 2) To provide skill sets for graduate
careers in biomedical sciences. Those successful individuals will, in turn, act as role models for future students
interested in research careers. Three measures of evaluation will be collected on a yearly basis: 1) Assessment
of the 10 week summer research experience by participating undergraduate students and faculty in the program.
This assessment will come in two ways from the LSSURP survey and a PNI specific survey; 2) The PNI program
itself will be supported by the Advisory Co...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10128773
- **Project number:** 2R25DA039074-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** DOROTHY K HATSUKAMI
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $107,979
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2016-07-01 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10128773

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10128773, Summer Research Program for Diversity Students in PharmacoNeuroImmunology (2R25DA039074-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10128773. Licensed CC0.

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