# Evaluation Core

> **NIH NIH U54** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · $232,034

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: EVALUATION CORE
The Vanderbilt FIRST (V-FIRST) Evaluation Core (EC) will be grounded in equity-focused, theory-driven
evaluation to ensure that planning, monitoring, evaluation, and tracking of V-FIRST are comprehensive to the
needs and goals of V-FIRST, and will employ evaluation activities to ensure that the EC is contributing to the
goals of the FIRST program more broadly. The EC will test the hypothesis that 1) hiring a cohort of diverse
faculty, 2) investing in the career development of those faculty with resources and relationships (mentoring and
sponsorship), and 3) implementing institutional level practices to create academic cultures of inclusive
excellence will lead to significant improvements in metrics of institutional culture and workforce diversity.
Specifically, we will use quantitative and qualitative data collection methods to assess the following: Hiring:
Increased percentage of Black, Latinx, American Indian, and Pacific Islander scientists applying to and
accepting faculty positions; Racial diversity of faculty mirrors racial diversity of US population; Salary and start-
up packages for faculty from minoritized racial groups are equal to other faculty in the same discipline, school,
and rank; Faculty development: Faculty report satisfaction with lab, ability to recognize and access resources
to advance their careers, and growth in skills overtime; Faculty meet milestones in faculty development plan;
Number and impact of published papers; Number and type of grants applied for and won; Awards received for
scholarship (research, leadership, service), and faculty achieve promotion & tenure. Mentoring and
relationships: Faculty report satisfaction with their mentoring teams, Sponsors, relationships with other faculty
at Vanderbilt, and opportunities for collaboration; Faculty report increased sense of belonging over time; Social
network studies demonstrate increased scholarly integration V-FIRST faculty with their thematic areas over
time; V-FIRST faculty report they are supported and recognized for their accomplishments by their peers,
mentors, and institution; V-FIRST mentors report cultural humility, confidence in mentoring faculty from
minoritized groups, and receiving support and resources they need to be good mentors. Institutional-level
change: Implementation of new and/or changed policies and practices to enhance equity; Growth of social
network ties across race, gender, and disciplinary diversity; Increased percentage of faculty participating in DEI
trainings and reporting implementation of training content; Vanderbilt leadership displays race, gender, and
other forms of diversity in leadership positions beyond DEI; Parity among faculty from various demographic
groups on all domains of institutional surveys. We aim to build stakeholder voice throughout our evaluation
process, such that V-FIRST faculty have multiple and confidential outlets for providing feedback, but are
sheltered from the burden ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10852932
- **Project number:** 5U54CA280915-02
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Sarah V Suiter
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $232,034
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-06-01 → 2025-03-21

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10852932

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10852932, Evaluation Core (5U54CA280915-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10852932. Licensed CC0.

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