# LEADS 2.0

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2021 · $491,494

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) are uniquely positioned to prepare the next generation of
cutting-edge researchers from underrepresented minority groups, but faculty at MSIs still face
several barriers in securing NIH grant funding for their research. Programs such as the Research
Centers at Minority Institutions (RCMI) are aimed at enhancing infrastructure at MSIs to build
and sustain robust research programs, yet persistent barriers to obtaining NIH grants at MSIs
remain. Addressing such barriers (e.g., insufficient number of mentors, limited opportunities for
collaboration, under-utilization of career development awards) is imperative if we are to build a
more diverse biomedical research workforce. To tackle some of these barriers, we formed a
partnership with 9 MSIs and created a program called Leading Emerging And Diverse Scholars
to success (LEADS). The purpose of LEADS was to help launch the research careers of
postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty (hereafter Scholars) with a one-year fellowship where
Scholars received professional skills training such as grant development, team science, and
developing research careers with the ultimate goal of Scholars submitting successful grants.
Over the next five years, we will offer a two-year fellowship to Scholars, focusing on innovative
new components based on feedback from the Scholars and the literature. These include
personalizing the learning and making it experiential, enhancing mentoring, leveraging the
benefits of team science to form research teams, and using the LEADS alumni network to serve
as leaders and near-peer mentors to help Scholars succeed. We believe these elements will
increase the productivity of the Scholars by addressing their unique individual needs and
providing opportunities for success. In addition, we plan to focus on building sustainability at
the MSIs so that the best practices of LEADS can be institutionalized at the partnering sites and
offered across the RCMI network.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10286258
- **Project number:** 2R25GM116740-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Doris M Rubio
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $491,494
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2015-09-25 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10286258

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10286258, LEADS 2.0 (2R25GM116740-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10286258. Licensed CC0.

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