Abstract - This is a renewal of our successful 2019-2023 PREP program. UC Santa Cruz PREP is in its 8th year and has supported 50 scholars (43 completed training and 6 currently supported). Of our seven cohorts of PREP scholars that completed training, 3 enrolled in master’s programs, and 32 of 43 (74.4%) have been admitted to top-ranked biomedical Ph.D. programs throughout the country. Of the 32 accepted into Ph. D.s programs, 34% have completed their Ph.D. training, 16% have received their Master’s, and are currently in leadership positions in academia and industry. 50% are at different stages of their doctorate studies. Two honorable mentions and five scholars received prestigious NSF graduate fellowships. Ten additional scholars received coveted graduate fellowships at their universities. 19 co-authored peer-reviewed publications were produced by PREP scholars based on their research at UCSC. The current cohort of 6 scholars has just received numerous graduate school invitations, and we are optimistic that they will be accepted into Biomedical Ph.D. programs. Of our 50 scholars (30 female/20 male), 86% were first-generation college students, 8 were African American, 34 were Hispanic, 3 were Southeast Asian, and 3 were Native American. In this renewal application, we plan to maintain the same class size, admitting yearly cohorts of 6 post-baccalaureate scholars from underserved and underrepresented minority populations. Based on our extensive involvement with this program, we continue to modify and improve the PREP experience for our scholars. Specifically, we propose to increase our state and national recruiting efforts. In addition, we will foster collaborations, retreats, and seminars with the three other Bay Area PREP programs. While great strides have been made over the past 20 years toward increasing the participation of historically marginalized groups in science programs at the undergraduate level, similar increases have not been realized at the doctoral level. The UC Santa Cruz PREP program is well suited to meet this urgent national need to expand diversity and increase participation of historically marginalized students in Biomedical Ph.D. programs. The outstanding research environment at UC Santa Cruz will provide PREP scholars with state-of-the-art resources and faculty who are leaders in their disciplines. Our scholars will also benefit from UCSC’s experience and outstanding success, i.e., training underrepresented and historically marginalized students. PREP faculty and staff will collaborate with campus diversity partners, the Division of Graduate Studies, the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences, the Jack Baskin School of Engineering, and the Office of the Chancellor to ensure the success of the program by creating a welcoming environment for all members of the UCSC PREP community. PREP scholars will participate in intensive mentoring and professional development programs that enhance their ability to gain admission to...