# INfectious Diseases Summer Program Integrating Research at Emory (INSPIRE)

> **NIH NIH R25** · EMORY UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $340,886

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The objective of the proposed INfectious Diseases Summer Program Integrating Research at Emory (INSPIRE)
research training program is to prepare undergraduate students from groups historically excluded from and
underrepresented in science and medicine from across the country for a career in infectious disease (ID).
Racial discrimination in healthcare delivery has led to significant mistrust of a public health system which many
individuals believe has been used against them because of their race and ethnicity. The fact that such
discriminatory practices have existed is associated with the lack of representation of individuals from diverse
backgrounds in ID. Individuals who identify as African American, Latinx, Native American, or as Pacific Islanders
comprise approximately 39% of the college population but individuals from these groups earn only 13% of
doctoral degrees in the life sciences and constitute only 13% of recent medical graduates and 7% of full-time
medical faculty. As one of the nation’s leading research universities, Emory University is grounded in both
academic excellence and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The academic resources at
Emory include access to dedicated world-class faculty and outstanding facilities and equipment with a reputation
for being one of the best academic ID research centers in the world. At the same time, Emory faculty and student
body are increasingly diverse and inclusive of historically underrepresented groups and have powerful research
and training partnerships with the neighboring historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) including
Morehouse, Spelman, and Clark Atlanta. The objective of our training program is to prepare 48
underrepresented undergraduate students from throughout the country for a career in ID research by
exposing them to hands-on research, conducting courses for professional and research skills development, and
strengthening Emory’s mentorship capacity to addresses identity and underrepresentation. In Aim 1,
undergraduate students from groups historically excluded from and underrepresented in science and medicine
will be matched with a research mentor and a laboratory or clinical field site for a 10-week in-person summer
research experience that will result in an abstract and poster presentation at a research symposium conducted
at the end of the period. In Aim 2, we will deliver in-person and online courses on: a) career guidance to enter
medical and/or graduate school; b) biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research topics related to the NIAID
mission; and c) understanding how researchers from underrepresented groups can successfully pursue a path
in research and healthcare. In Aim 3, we will: a) provide undergraduate trainees with agency to select from a
pool of identity mentors who have diverse ethnic, racial, cultural backgrounds, and experiences, who will
maintain regular contact the trainees for one year; b) conduct Mentoring Up wo...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10849148
- **Project number:** 1R25AI175048-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** EMORY UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** ANITA H. CORBETT
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $340,886
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-04-05 → 2029-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10849148

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10849148, INfectious Diseases Summer Program Integrating Research at Emory (INSPIRE) (1R25AI175048-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10849148. Licensed CC0.

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