# Bridges to the Future

> **NIH NIH R25** · CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LOS ANGELES · 2022 · $1

## Abstract

California State University, Los Angeles proposes to continue its partnership with East Los Angeles
College, Pasadena City College, and Los Angeles City College to further test that the growth into excellence as
a PhD student can have its roots in the freshman and sophomore experience at community college; that the
skills and habits of mind necessary for graduate school- and biomedical research career success begin in the
lower-division undergraduate years, then nurtured and developed progressively at a four-year institution and
into graduate school. We have reverse-engineered a freshman-sophomore training program for talented
community college students from the characteristics of the most successful biomedical science PhD students
at major research universities.
 Our proposed overall training is an integrated four-year program composed of the LA Biomed Bridges to
the Future project for talented freshmen and sophomores at our partner community colleges that is deliberately
coupled to the MARC U-STAR or RISE programs for the junior and senior years at Cal State LA or other four-
year institutions. Growth through discovering one's interest in science and identity as a scientist requires time
and effort on task. The combination of two years of experience as LA Biomed Bridges Scholars in community
college, plus two more as MARC or RISE Scholars is a powerful combination to cement a commitment to a
career in biomedical research and lay the intellectual and technical foundations for success in graduate school,
a postdoc, and as an independent investigator.
 The LA Biomed Bridges to the Future Program is composed of eight components: 1) An early and
substantive introduction to authentic mentored laboratory research; 2) a solid undergraduate curriculum
enhanced by courses modified to include course-based undergraduate research experiences (CURE); 3)
participation in workshops to enhance the curriculum; 4) an extensive program of improving the Scholar's
scientific writing; 5) participation in an Annual Biomedical Research Retreat; 6) solid academic and career
advisement; 7) participation in establishing support networks to enhance success; and 8) developmental
participation in scientific seminars. We anticipate that students prepared through this integrated four-year
training will be exceptionally prepared for the PhD and high-profile career success and leadership in
biomedical research.
 The LA Biomed Bridges to the Future Program has made solid progress. In the past 15 years, 19 Bridges
alumni have earned the PhD and are already contributing to the American research enterprise. During this past
5-year period, six alums from earlier periods completed the PhD. There are 14 LA Biomed Bridges to the
Future alumni from the current and prior periods that are currently in top PhD programs and are making good
progress. We expect to do even better in the renewal we now propose.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10424607
- **Project number:** 5R25GM049001-22
- **Recipient organization:** CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** Kim-Lien Thi Dinh
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $1
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1992-09-30 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10424607

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10424607, Bridges to the Future (5R25GM049001-22). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10424607. Licensed CC0.

---

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