# THE UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO AT CAYEY  METAS+ : Maintaining, Engaging, and Tracking Alumni in Science and Health Research

> **NIH NIH U01** · UNIVERSITY OF PR CAYEY UNIVERSITY COLL · 2022 · $313,902

## Abstract

Despite significant advances to diversify the biomedical workforce, the proportion of Ph.D. degrees awarded to
Latinos is still 7% and only 48% of those who enroll in a doctorate program complete their degree. The project
METAS+ (Maintaining, Engaging, and Tracking Alumni in Science and Health Research; also GOALS+ in
Spanish) seeks to diversify the biomedical workforce by testing, with well-designed scientific approaches, the
efficacy of training interventions that can equip Latino undergraduates to successfully transition to biomedical
graduate programs. The University of Puerto Rico at Cayey (UPR-C) is ideally positioned to address this
challenge because its student population is 100% Latino. Approximately 300 UPR-C students engaged in
UGR yearly and most seek to pursue graduate studies in STEM or biomedical areas. METAS+ seeks to test
the effectiveness of 1) previous mentored UGR experiences provided at UPR-C and 2) an innovative on
campus and on-line group coaching intervention that is envisioned as a reinforcement to such UGR
experiences. Results will be assessed at three stages of a student’s pathway into science: 1) college
graduation, 2) enrollment in a biomedical graduate program and 3) the first year of graduate school; something
not done previously. To achieve robustness in the analysis, we will use Propensity Score Matching, a statistical
method that mimics experimental approaches and controls for self-selection-bias by identifying and matching
Latinos with similar socio-demographic and academic characteristics who only differ in the treatment variable
(UGR). To test the efficacy of the new coaching reinforcement, we will use an experimental design by
randomly assigning 80 students to a control group (no intervention) and an experimental group (coaching). In
the long-term, the project is expected to reveal the benefit of evidenced-based sustainable interventions that
can cast a broad net of participants at Minority Serving Institutions to truly diversify the scientific workforce.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10475749
- **Project number:** 5U01GM138432-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PR CAYEY UNIVERSITY COLL
- **Principal Investigator:** Jose Caraballo
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $313,902
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-04 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10475749

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10475749, THE UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO AT CAYEY  METAS+ : Maintaining, Engaging, and Tracking Alumni in Science and Health Research (5U01GM138432-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10475749. Licensed CC0.

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