# Promoting diversity in research careers in diabetes, digestive and kidney diseases

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCIENCE CENTER · 2022 · $25,112

## Abstract

This proposal is a competitive renewal of this STEP-UP program initially funded in 2007 and renewed
in 2011 and 2016. The program is designed to provide short-term experience and training in
biomedical research for undergraduate students from racial/ethnic-underrepresented groups, and for
students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Since 2016, the program has been jointly based at the
University of Texas Long School of Medicine in San Antonio and the Penn State College of Medicine
in Hershey, PA under the direction of W. Brian Reeves, MD, Chair of Medicine at UTHSA and Gail
Matters, PhD, Associate Professor at Penn State. The program has made targeted recruitment efforts
through several minority student organizations which have resulted in a large increase in the number
of applications received. Applications exceed available positions by a 5:1 ratio. The outcomes of the
program have been excellent. 244 students have matriculated through the Penn State STEP-UP
program since its inception with over 75% of students continuing on to higher education in biomedical
fields and an additional 15% are employed in biomedical fields. The current proposal builds on the
successes of the current STEP-UP program and significantly expands the mentoring activities to
provide more sustained, year round, support to the students. The plan provides background and
hands-on experience in research related to the mission of NIDDK. The plan also provides for technical
advising and mentoring of students during their hands-on research experience at a summer-end
research symposium and during the subsequent academic year. The aims of the proposal are: 1.
Provide a hands-on research experience through which students will learn how discovery, clinical and
translational research are conducted and the results are disseminated to others. 2. Provide year round
research experiences, mentoring and career development activities to enhance entry and retention of
students in biomedical research. The curriculum will also include discussions on normative standards
of conduct, privacy and confidentiality issues, laboratory safety, research integrity, record keeping,
data management, and communication skills. Although the primary goal of this proposal is to increase
the number and competence of members of underrepresented groups in biomedical research, an
important secondary benefit is to expand the proportion of underrepresented population who
understand that life-style decisions have great consequences for their personal health and that of their
family, friends and community.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10661165
- **Project number:** 3R25DK078381-16S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCIENCE CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Gail L. Matters
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $25,112
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2007-06-01 → 2027-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10661165

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10661165, Promoting diversity in research careers in diabetes, digestive and kidney diseases (3R25DK078381-16S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10661165. Licensed CC0.

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