# Short-Term Training Program to Increase Diversity in Health-Related Research

> **NIH NIH R25** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $117,059

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The purpose of this proposal is to provide opportunities for undergraduate students from under-
represented or disadvantaged backgrounds to engage in an intensive, summer research
training experience. Individuals from diverse backgrounds are under-represented in biomedical
and behavioral sciences. While the underpinnings of this issue are complex, the problem has
been perpetuated in no small part due to major limitations in the “pipeline” of trainees from
diverse backgrounds. As a reflection of our commitment to this issue, the Division of Pulmonary
and Critical Care Medicine has been running an NHLBI-funded program for students from
under-represented or disadvantaged backgrounds for the past 15 years. We wish to build on
this foundation, and sustain this initiative. Our program was developed on the premise that the
principal barrier to diversity in science is not a lack of talent, but rather a lack of opportunity.
The program was built around an intensive research experience with an individual mentor,
complemented by activities important to building communication and networking skills, such as
making presentations in journal club and at a closing poster session, as well as seminars that
describe issues relevant to career-building in biomedical sciences. To date we have trained 212
students in our program. Of the 186 students that participated in our program and have now
graduated from their undergraduate institution, 163 have been accepted to, enrolled in or
received advanced degrees from medical/graduate school. In addition, 8 students are working
full-time in research positions with plans to apply to graduate/medical school, bringing the
number of past participants actively engaged in the biomedical sciences to 91%. In pursuing
funding through this R25 program, we have three principal goals. The first is to provide a high
quality scientific experience to students of diverse backgrounds as a means of exposing them
to, and persuading them of, the excitement of careers in biomedical sciences. The second goal
is to provide students exposure to activities that will enhance their chances for success in
biomedical careers, such as organizing material for presentations and seminars on the mentee-
mentor relationship. Finally, we hope to continue to develop a network of contacts and
information that will help these individuals surmount historical issues of access that have limited
entry and success. Over the past 15 years, we have demonstrated our commitment to
enhancing diversity in the biomedical sciences, and we look forward to extending this
commitment.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10306396
- **Project number:** 5R25HL084762-15
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Mahendra Damarla
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $117,059
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2006-05-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10306396

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10306396, Short-Term Training Program to Increase Diversity in Health-Related Research (5R25HL084762-15). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10306396. Licensed CC0.

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