# An Adaptation and Evaluation of an Entrepreneurial Research Training Model in Hawaii: The HUI SRC

> **NIH NIH U01** · HAWAII PACIFIC UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $278,855

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Given global competitiveness in the workforce, there is an urgent need to recruit and train faculty from diverse
cultural backgrounds to mentor and train diverse students as future scientists in the biomedical and health
sciences fields. Unfortunately, in the U.S., only 10% of the faculty research positions are occupied by African
Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs) collectively. This
indicates a major leak in the faculty mentors pipeline, particularly from underrepresented communities such as
Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI).
From the most successful businesses to institutions of higher education, mentorship is at the core of diverse
talent development and retention in a competitive market, indeed, a fundamental component of the workplace
culture and a smart investment (Wallack, 2019). Mentorship is a mechanism through which a viable diverse and
representative workforce can be created and cultivated. Through mentorship, lifelong learning can be advanced,
faculty talents can be leveraged, and systems can be positively changed. Outstanding and effective mentoring
must be institutionalized and requires the investment of sufficient time and resources. Unfortunately, many
faculty enter the academy without any formal mentorship training or guarantees that such training opportunities
will be available and accessible. But, for the most part, faculty enter academia with a strong commitment to
diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, with the goal of preparing diverse professionals and leaders for the
workforce.
Hawai‘i Pacific University (HPU) proposes the HPU Faculty Mentorship Training Program to enhance faculty’s
ability to effectively mentor students, particularly students from underrepresented communities, in their
independent research, progression towards graduation, preparation for graduate school, and connection to
career opportunities. Furthermore, the proposed program will develop student-engaged faculty research and the
technical and relational skills required by faculty to effectively mentor undergraduate students in the HUI SRC
and at HPU. The overarching goal of this program is to examine the short and long-term impacts of the HPU
Faculty Mentorship Training Program on increase in student-engaged faculty research and the faculty members’
technical and relational mentorship skills. The evaluation plan will examine the overall achievements toward
increasing the pool of faculty mentors who will engage in mentoring diverse students toward success in research,
graduate school matriculation, and career entrance.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10606460
- **Project number:** 3U01GM138435-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** HAWAII PACIFIC UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Halaevalu Vakalahi
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $278,855
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10606460

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10606460, An Adaptation and Evaluation of an Entrepreneurial Research Training Model in Hawaii: The HUI SRC (3U01GM138435-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10606460. Licensed CC0.

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