# Mentored Experiences in Research, Instruction and Teaching (MERIT) Program - administrative supplement

> **NIH NIH K12** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2021 · $13,587

## Abstract

Funded since 2009, the primary goal of the UAB IRACDA - Mentored Experiences in Research, Instruction,
and Teaching (MERIT) Program (K12 GM088010) is to provide postdoctoral scholars with outstanding
research and teaching experiences while improving the recruitment of underrepresented groups into the field of
biomedical and behavioral research. To meet this goal, IRACDA-MERIT Program partners with local
institutions that serve underrepresented groups to provide teaching experiences; research experiences are
provided at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). To date, a total of 35 MERIT Scholars have
trained / are training in the IRACDA-MERIT Program; 80% of MERIT Scholar Alumni are employed currently as
faculty in teaching- and research-intensive institutions throughout the US.
UAB is committed to providing its undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with the skills
they need to improve their mental health and wellness. Despite these resources, however, none fully
address the specific mental health challenges and needs of trainees engaged in biomedical research.
To address this need, MERIT Scholars will develop the BioMed-Resiliency (BMR) Curriculum with guidance
from IRACDA-MERIT Program leadership, the UAB Graduate School Professional Development Program and
UAB eLearning & Professional Services. This effort will be coordinated with the Scholars’ on-going teaching
experiences, allowing them to deepen their skill set in the area of curriculum development and assessment.
The central objective of the BMR Curriculum is to improve the learner’s resiliency attitudes and skills,
specifically in the context of conducting biomedical research. It will include a set of six online interactive
modules, each with related activity exercises and a facilitator guide, that will utilize metacognitive approaches
toward increased understanding and development of resiliency. It will be geared toward learners who are
training in the biomedical-related sciences, including graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at UAB as
well as STEM undergraduates and post-baccalaureates at UAB and at IRACDA-MERIT Partner Institutions.
The BMR Curriculum will be assessed via formative and summative approaches in consultation with the UAB
Graduate School Professional Development Program. Once assessment is completed and any improvements
finalized, the BMR Curriculum will be disseminated to the UAB and IRACDA-MERIT Program communities as
well as to the broader biomedical research community. As a measure of institutional commitment, the BMR
Curriculum will be institutionalized as a standing curriculum in the UAB Graduate School Professional
Development Program portfolio.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10391706
- **Project number:** 3K12GM088010-12S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** LISA M. SCHWIEBERT
- **Activity code:** K12 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $13,587
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2009-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10391706

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10391706, Mentored Experiences in Research, Instruction and Teaching (MERIT) Program - administrative supplement (3K12GM088010-12S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-08 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10391706. Licensed CC0.

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