Abstract This is a multidisciplinary training program under the Graduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement mechanism at the University of Toledo (UT), and involves ten participating programs. The overarching goal of the program is to train a significant number of diverse professionals with the skills and leadership required for careers in biomedical research. This goal is aligned with the missions of the NIH and the University of Toledo Strategic Plan. The program will broaden the pipeline of candidates and utilize effective multiprong mechanisms to recruit trainees from traditionally underserved communities. To achieve this objective, partnerships have been established with eight minority-serving undergraduate institutions with NIGMS-supported research training programs, including the ReBUILDetroit program, as well as with disability-serving programs. Scholars will participate in a summer bridge program prior to matriculation and receive intensive training and mentorship to form networks, enhance social integration and perseverance. A multifaceted innovative and evidence-based program will be implemented in supportive environments to increase trainees success rates, sharpen leadership, scientific rigor, and communication skills. Training will leverage the resources and intellectual environment of the UT Medical Campus to expose trainees to translational research in health disparities and biomarker discovery to better-equip them for careers with significant impacts on the unique health-related research needs of underserved communities and the nation. In conjunction with the Ph.D. degrees, scholars will receive training in bioinformatics and earn a Certificate in Biomarker and Bioinformatics to position them well for careers in the forefront of biomedicine. Through various activities, the program will guide and engage the trainees in identifying and pursuing a range of potential career options in basic sciences. At the end of the five-year grant period, this program will produce forty-eight skillful biomedical researchers who will enhance the diversity of the biomedical workforce and positively impact the local economy. The program will have wider impacts by enriching the educational curricula and the cultural environment at UT, by engaging the local communities through the numerous targeted activities of our trainees, and by contributing to maintaining the competitiveness of the U.S. in the global economy