# MAXIMIZING STUDENT DIVERSITY IN THE BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

> **NIH NIH R25** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $37,975

## Abstract

Summary: Through intentional programming and community based outreach efforts to under-served
communities, this supplement seeks to promote student wellness and resiliency. Student feedback from pilots of
the proposed activities highlight their indelibly positive impact on student well-being and resiliency. Both
activities, however, were hurriedly organized and implemented during the height of the pandemic; both can be
significantly improved. The goal of this supplement is to take the time needed to organize, expand, and evolve
both efforts to optimize their ability to drive student wellness, resiliency, and success. Focusing specifically on
outreach activities, we will enhance our IMSD and MARC led tutoring and science programs by developing a
workshop on best practices for urban youth, creating detailed protocols and resources for 12 monthly student led
hands-on science demonstrations, and working with tutors, students, parents, and leadership of local high
schools and non-profit organizations to increase program efficiency and sustainability. We will enhance the
success of our Wellness and Resiliency Workshop by improving website design to facilitate greater student
interaction through web-based discussions, adding sessions on building resiliency through community, and
introducing an associated in-person (or remote) monthly discussion group that focuses on challenges students
are facing in graduate school. By evolving these activities, which will be open to all PhD students in the Division
of Biological and Biomedical Sciences at Washington University, to best meet our students' needs, we are
confident they will increase the wellness and resiliency of all participating PhD students (and the academic
achievement of high school students) and in so doing provide them with critical skills that will help them enjoy
and succeed in graduate school and beyond.
The key measurable objectives of our proposed activities are the same: reduce student stress, increase student
ability to manage stressful and anxiety-inducing situations, increase student wellness, and increase student
resiliency. To assess the effectiveness of each intervention in achieving its goals, we will conduct pre-/post-test
surveys with all students to track the impact of each activity on each parameter via multiple quantitative and
qualitative questions. As Dr. Jim Skeath, the IMSD program director, will help oversee the creation and
implementation of all activities, he is perfectly positioned to ensure they are integrated into the fabric of the
IMSD programming and culture long-term, ensuring their sustainability.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10393124
- **Project number:** 3R25GM103757-09S1
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** James Benjamin Skeath
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $37,975
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2013-05-20 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10393124

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10393124, MAXIMIZING STUDENT DIVERSITY IN THE BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY (3R25GM103757-09S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10393124. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*