PROJECT SUMMARY – G-RISE at the University of South Dakota (G-RISE USD): The Mission of the G- RISE USD program is to develop a biomedical doctoral training program that produces a highly qualified, diverse pool of biomedical scientists that reflects the makeup of South Dakota and prepares these trainees for a variety of career paths in the public and private sector. The Specific Objectives of this program are to: (1) Enhance the diversity of the USD Basic Biomedical Sciences (BBS) graduate program with an emphasis on non-majority groups characteristic of this region, i.e. American Indians, Latinos, 1st generation college students, rural students, and students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. (2) Prepare the next generation of biomedical PhD students to be successful, independent scientists that are also prepared for a variety of career paths by integrating traditional elements of didactic instruction and mentor-driven research with professional development activities. (3) Develop effective mentoring skills in faculty (as well as staff and students) so that these mentors can carry out a more structured, but still personalized, training program for their mentees, understand how to incorporate principles of inclusive excellence into their training, and prepare students for career paths that may lead to careers outside of academia. The guiding Rationale for the G-RISE USD is that it can develop an inclusive biomedical research training program that reaches a unique set of underrepresented students and prepare them for a diverse set of potential careers. There are a large number of pipeline programs that can deliver highly trained students from diverse backgrounds and with diverse research interests to the BBS graduate program. There is also very strong institutional support for education and training of a diverse population of students including several social and cultural resources across campus. Key Activities include: Active recruitment of the targeted student groups and a holistic application process combined with practices to improve retention, e.g., cultural competency training for the student and faculty, and peer mentoring for students within the training program. Rigorous scientific training that promotes independent thinking and hypothesis-driven research, reproducibility, and responsible conduct in research. Development of written and oral communications skills including workshops on how to reach professional and general audiences. Professional development through “microcredential” classes that allow students to take graduate courses in business, law, communication, and education, internships and informational interviews, and workshops on career development skills such as active interviewing and team-building. Improving the quality of faculty mentoring through a workshop using the Entering Mentoring curriculum. The intended trainee Outcomes of the G-RISE USD are to increase the proportion of BBS graduates students from the un...