# Enhancing Career Development of HBCU Biomedical Researchers: Extended Training in Grantsmanship and Mentoring

> **NIH NIH U01** · SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $313,345

## Abstract

Project Summary / Abstract
Increasing the diversity of the biomedical workforce requires that faculty mentors of underrepresented (UR) trainees are
proficient in grantsmanship and mentoring in order to: a) demonstrate cultural competencies to adequately support UR
trainees, engage them in rigorous research training, and prepare them for entry to graduate programs, and b) support
career development of faculty, including UR faculty, where advancement and transition for research faculty is measured
by their ability to obtain external funding support. However, mastering these complex skills is time-consuming and
faculty need specialized training to gain proficiency. The conventional, status quo approach for most faculty training is
“low-touch,” one-time workshops. The proposed study aims to generate new knowledge on the outcomes and benefits of
an intensive, sustained training model approach (high touch) through a multi-site HBCU experiment. The study design
builds on evidence–based best practices, including the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC)
National Research Mentoring Network Steps Toward Academic Research (NRMN-STAR) Program, and includes 2
innovative aspects: 1) it includes a controlled randomized research study to test the efficacy of sustained vs. one time
interventions (high vs. low touch), and 2) along with grantsmanship which has been studied in the STAR program, it
includes mentoring training. The study is a partnership between three Historically Black Colleges/Universities (HBCUs) -
Savannah State University (lead), Albany State University, and Alabama State University – each of which has large
numbers of UR faculty and students who can benefit from new training approaches to increase their faculty and students’
contributions to the biomedical scientific community. The 3–year training experiment will engage 3 cohorts of faculty
participants (18/cohort for a total study population of 54), drawn from all full-time faculty at the partners who are
interested in pursuing biomedical/behavioral research. All disciplines will be invited to apply to support a diversity of
disciplines participating in biomedical/behavioral research, including interdisciplinary and community-based research.
The study will be a mixed experimental design with random selection and assignment of participants. Each cohort will
engage in a 12 month training experiment, with the low touch group receiving an introductory 2 day workshop and a
follow-up webinar, and the high touch group receiving the introductory workshop and additional workshops/webinars and
monthly coaching from peer coaches. Both groups will be eligible to apply for pilot project funding. The goal over the 12
month experiment is for faculty to prepare a research proposal which can be submitted to NIH in the next funding cycle.
Pre-/Post survey data on faculty efficacy will be gathered for each cohort, and following the end of the experiment, faculty
productivity for grant submissio...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10242855
- **Project number:** 5U01GM138434-02
- **Recipient organization:** SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** CHELLU S CHETTY
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $313,345
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10242855

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10242855, Enhancing Career Development of HBCU Biomedical Researchers: Extended Training in Grantsmanship and Mentoring (5U01GM138434-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10242855. Licensed CC0.

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