# UC San Diego FIRST Program

> **NIH NIH U54** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2022 · $158,000

## Abstract

Abstract
A diverse biomedical workforce is critical for enhancing scientific innovation, health equity, and inclusive
excellence. However, the number of historically underrepresented racial/ethnic (UR) scientists and women,
especially UR women remain disproportionately low in the biomedical workforce, particularly as faculty at
research institutions. UR and women biomedical researchers are also less likely to be awarded NIH funding and
are underrepresented in leadership positions. Key barriers to faculty retention and success include a lack of
clarity regarding promotion criteria, effective mentorship and formal structured faculty development programs. In
addition, the gap in representation is caused in large part by institutional cultures that lack critical elements of
inclusion and equity. Thus, multiple evidence-based strategies are needed to enhance faculty diversity, success
and inclusion. Cluster hiring at academic institutions is an effective strategy for enhancing faculty diversity.
Formal structured faculty mentorship, research and career development programs improve faculty competencies
and success and can impact organizational culture. The goal of the University of California San Diego (UCSD)
Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) Faculty Development Core is to use
evidence-based strategies to enhance FIRST participants’ academic advancement, research success, and
inclusive institutional excellence. The objective of the Faculty Development Core is to develop institutional
strategies to establish effective mentorship, enhance research and career development and promote
interventions that will reduce isolation and increase community building for all UCSD FIRST participants. We
hypothesize that UCSD FIRST cohort participants engaging in the Faculty Development Core program
components will obtain direction in academic promotion, strong mentorship in research and career development,
access to networks of colleagues, integration into their units and inclusion in robust communities of diverse
scholars comprised of peers, near-peers and senior faculty across UCSD. We propose three specific aims. Aim
1. Strategy and Methodology. To improve UCSD FIRST faculty training for promotion, tenure and advancement
and enhance integration into the department/division and institution. Aim 2. Professional Development and
Progression. To improve and support faculty research and career development using evidence-based strategies.
Aim 3. Culture and Environment. To reduce isolation, promote community building, support new faculty timely
academic advancement and to enhance institutional inclusive excellence. Together, these aims will promote
UCSD culture change towards inclusive excellence by using evidence-based strategies to enhance UR faculty
academic advancement, research and career development, integration and implementation of system-wide
structured faculty development programs to enhance inclusivity.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10494790
- **Project number:** 1U54CA272220-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** VIVIAN REZNIK
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $158,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-09 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10494790

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10494790, UC San Diego FIRST Program (1U54CA272220-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10494790. Licensed CC0.

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