# Improving Diversity and Career Transitions through Society Support

> **NIH NIH R25** · AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY · 2021 · $662,106

## Abstract

Project Summary
Significance: Despite decades of effort, several racial and ethnic groups are underrepresented in science
compared with their proportion of the general population. In part, this disparity is due to a higher rate of attrition
from biomedical training pathways for scientists from underrepresented (UR) groups. As a scientific society,
the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) recognizes the particular stability that societies can provide
scientists as they transition across career stage and institutions. Among the many efforts to increase retention
for UR scientists, the academic institutions that have seen a lasting increase in retention employed both a
transformation of institutional culture to make it more inclusive and support programs that deliver mentoring
and training to the UR scientists. Proposed Action: ASCB will adapt this successful approach as a model for
how a scientific society can increase retention of UR scientists in biomedical training, increasing diversity in
science and reducing the disparity in representation. Specific Aims: The activities in Aim 1 initiate a change in
institutional culture toward inclusion through an inclusiveness workshop for ASCB leadership, diversity and
inclusion training for general members at the Annual Meeting, and a new poster session and keynote speaker
on the Scholarship of Diversity to signal to the membership that diversity is relevant for all members. In Aim 2,
grad students, postdocs, and junior faculty at risk for lower-than-usual mentoring will be selected for a multi-
year program that offers extensive multi-level mentoring and community, professional development and
bioinformatics training, and a practicum in which to practice the new skills in a supported environment. Aim 3
takes advantage of the large Annual Meeting to offer activities that increase the rate of interaction among UR
and majority scientists, as well as deliver mentoring and training to emerging scientists. These activities include
a travel awards program to bring UR undergraduates, grad students, postdocs, and junior faculty to the Annual
Meeting, professional development and multiple structured mentoring opportunities for these emerging
scientists, a separate poster competition for networking and practice ahead of the general session, a major
session to highlight spectacular research from a UR scientist, and a major session to recognize the importance
of mentoring and see an example of its impact. Although the funding length is too short to directly measure the
impact of the activities on retention in biomedical training, this proposal identifies measures that are acceptable
proxies for the likelihood of remaining in biomedical training. To judge impact, pre- and post-program metrics
will be gathered, and the changes in the participant group will be compared with an otherwise-similar group of
non-participants. Overall impact: All told, these activities are expected to impact 1000+ participants annually
thr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10176528
- **Project number:** 5R25GM116707-06
- **Recipient organization:** AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** ASHANTI EDWARDS
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $662,106
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-06-08 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10176528

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10176528, Improving Diversity and Career Transitions through Society Support (5R25GM116707-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10176528. Licensed CC0.

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