# UC Davis MCB T32 Administrative Supplement to Recognize Excellence in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Mentorship

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2022 · $103,380

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
The NIGMS T32 predoctoral training program in Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) at UC Davis is
committed to supporting trainee diversity and providing enhanced training to support equity, inclusivity, and
accessibility. The overriding objectives of this supplement are to develop and deliver a student-led and student-
targeted curriculum to support improved mentoring and DEIA awareness.
Two novel activities are proposed: 1) a 10-week graduate course termed “Mentoring Up in an Equitable and
Inclusive manner” and 2) a monthly series of “mentorED” meetings that covers topics both overlapping and
complementary with the 10-week course. The principles that drove our vision for this curriculum are that these
activities should be 1) student-led; 2) student-targeted; 3) made accessible to the broadest audience; 4)
designed to take advantage of and synergize with other institution- and student-led initiatives in mentoring and
DEI; and 5) inclusive of trusted, supportive, and experienced faculty mentors to assist in the design and
delivery of activities.
The proposed activities were crafted to answer two pressing needs. First, graduate curricula are often too
narrow and discipline-specific. They lack in providing students with instruction and practical tools aimed at
navigating graduate school, maximizing their mentor-mentee relationships, and building resilience. As a result,
students may report negative graduate experiences and their progress as scientists-in-training may suffer.
These effects often disproportionately affect first-generation and underrepresented student populations.
Second, graduate curricula often fail to sufficiently acknowledge that our society carries within it historical and
deep-rooted injustices and biases. This may lead students from backgrounds and communities who suffered
from biases and injustices to feel less supported, reduce their sense of belonging, and hamper their growth as
valued members of the scientific community. We designed our curriculum to address both needs in parallel.
We request support for two trainees carefully selected based on their outstanding potential as researchers and
mentors, and their exceptional record of involvement in DEI issues in their graduate programs. We expect that
our novel curriculum will significantly improve mentorship and DEIA awareness across a broad range of
graduate students in biological sciences. Our practical focus aims to empower them to become agents of
change, leading to a renewed focus on sustaining a climate of equity, inclusivity, respect, and justice in our
institution.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10606407
- **Project number:** 3T32GM007377-44S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Frederic Louis Chedin
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $103,380
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 1983-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10606407

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10606407, UC Davis MCB T32 Administrative Supplement to Recognize Excellence in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Mentorship (3T32GM007377-44S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10606407. Licensed CC0.

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