# Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program at University of Illinois at Chicago

> **NIH NIH T34** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · 2021 · $136,320

## Abstract

Abstract
The mission of the proposed program is to develop a lasting, robust institutional training program for highly
talented underrepresented minority (URM) students to pursue careers in biomedical research. Our program
builds on the existing partnership between Malcolm X College (MXC), a community college in Chicago IL, and
University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), the largest, public, Research I University in the region. The program is
built upon the idea that a training program, if it is to be successful in serving associated students, must also
change the students’ undergraduate experience, the faculty, and the institutions involved. Hence, we have
three specific aims: (1) recruiting and supporting trainees, (2) engaging in faculty development to enhance
inclusion, and (3) institutional transformation at multiple levels. Weaving through these three aims is a
consistent focus on how the students and their communities are impacted by health disparities, with particular
attention paid to cancer research, but also incorporating methodology and themes applicable to a variety of
STEM-related fields. Activities associated with Aim 1 include completion of introductory science courses at
MXC, engagement with admission transfer advisors before and after transfer to UIC, participation in UIC
workshops on research methods, ethics, and culture of science, participation in summer research experiences
with UIC mentors, and presentation of results at local and national conferences. Activities associated with Aim
2 include focus on cancer research in introductory courses and structured research experiences for students,
and participation in annual mentoring workshops and expanding initiatives that address cancer disparities in a
laboratory setting. Finally, activities associated with Aim 3 include development of research career advising at
MXC, advising about the B2B training program and biomedical research opportunities, and monitoring
progress of our program. We hypothesize that a program focused on questions of health disparities and the
voices of the trainees and their communities, can support trainees in their development as biomedical
researchers, change how instructors and mentors approach the teaching and training in science, and develop
robust activities at the institutional level that can make research, health care, and education more inclusive.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10270259
- **Project number:** 1T34GM142627-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** PAUL J GRIPPO
- **Activity code:** T34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $136,320
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-02 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10270259

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10270259, Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program at University of Illinois at Chicago (1T34GM142627-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10270259. Licensed CC0.

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