# Short-term Research Education to Increase Diversity

> **NIH NIH R25** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2024 · $164,589

## Abstract

Project Summary
The Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
(Mount Sinai) proposes to continue and the successful existing Short-term Research Education Program to
Enhance Diversity in Health-Related Research. The goal of the Program is to nurture trainees who are from
underrepresented backgrounds and have interests in science and medicine. We do this by enhancing their
research capacity in a way that supports multidisciplinary training and long-term engagement with mentors.
The proposed program will continue to build on experience gained with existing programs that have already
been very successful in providing research training, offered career mentoring and guided many participating
students towards achieving their professional goals. The current proposal builds on the most effective features
of the program as determined through continuous and systematic long-term evaluation. First, the program is
multidisciplinary. Rather than selecting mentors and projects within a particular scientific discipline, the
program draws from a very diverse mentor pool who all work on different aspects of the NHLBI’s mission. The
program includes mentors with expertise in community-based research, epidemiology, public health, global
health, occupational health and others. This allows for students with interests ranging from molecular biology to
population health to be included in the program. Second, the program has strong institutional support. It was
originally founded in 1995 and has been continuously funded since then (first by NIEHS, then by NHLBI), a
testament to the dedication and commitment of the participating faculty and the program director, who has
directed the program all that time. Third, the program sits within a portfolio of other educational programs at
Mount Sinai that expose trainees to a wealth of opportunities and career options. Finally, the program has
provided long-term follow-up of student participants, creating a sense of community among trained
participants, an important connection as students continue to grow in their career paths. This continuity is
reassuring as trainees develop in a professional environment in which people of color and those of low
socioeconomic means are still vastly underrepresented. The program has continued to evolve since its
inception. In order to expand and grow, it has developed the following Specific Aims: 1) To select, train and
nurture a cadre of underrepresented students and to motivate and support them in their professional
development. 2) To provide students who participate in the program with long-term mentoring and guidance
throughout the length of their careers. During the current iteration of the program, 38 students have
participated, bringing the total number of alumni to 157. This proposal expects to add another 30 trainees to
this cadre. A plan for long-term follow-up and strong evaluation strategies will continue to be incorporated i...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10792312
- **Project number:** 2R25HL108857-11
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** Luz Claudio
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $164,589
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2011-06-15 → 2028-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10792312

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10792312, Short-term Research Education to Increase Diversity (2R25HL108857-11). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10792312. Licensed CC0.

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