# The Paired Undergraduate Mentoring Program (PUMP) in Uronephrology

> **NIH NIH R25** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $102,030

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The U.S. is facing a biomedical workforce crisis, exacerbated by insufficient diversity among individuals entering
the career path, starting with attrition from STEM majors in undergraduate training. The result, particularly for
diseases that disparately impact minority and underserved populations, is a lack of innovative solutions to
advance health outcomes. Chronic kidney disease and end stage kidney disease disproportionately affect
African Americans and represent a substantial medical and economic burden in the U.S., with annual
management costs estimated at $120 billion. Duke University is uniquely positioned to address this critical
problem by building a robust, diverse, and sustainable pipeline of future academic biomedical scientists. Our
recently established Office of Physician Scientist Development (OPSD) offers a sustainable structure for
mentorship, professional development, and research funding. By leveraging this institutional structure, we are
well positioned to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of a program that links resources
across the training spectrum to introduce undergraduate students to varied research career opportunities, while
preparing senior trainees transitioning to faculty positions to become strong independent investigators skilled in
mentoring students from diverse backgrounds. To address the biomedical workforce gap, we propose the
Paired Undergraduate Mentoring Program (PUMP) in Uronephrology, which will recruit diverse cohorts of
undergraduate students and expose them to research skills-building and mentored research experiences in
urology and nephrology. We will provide evidence-based professional development activities targeting both the
student participants and the trainees who will serve as the day-to-day research project mentors. Duke PUMP
will achieve our long-term goal, addressing barriers that limit the recruitment and retention of a diverse
uronephrology workforce, through intensive research experiences, structured triangular mentorship, and
sustained virtual engagement. The program focuses on 1) implementing a mentored summer research
enrichment program to develop interest in uronephrology research careers among a diverse cohort of rising
junior and senior undergraduates; 2) preparing next-generation uronephrology investigators to mentor a diverse
biomedical workforce by training graduate students and postdoctoral associates in mentorship and providing
them critical experience leading student research projects; and 3) preparing a diverse cohort of undergraduates
for post-graduate training and entry into uronephrology research careers through sustained engagement that
extends and enriches the summer research program experience. Successful implementation of the proposed
program will lead to a scalable model for development of a robust pipeline for a diverse biomedical research
workforce across disciplines.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10860999
- **Project number:** 5R25DK126633-03
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Rasheed Adebayo Gbadegesin
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $102,030
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-19 → 2027-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10860999

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10860999, The Paired Undergraduate Mentoring Program (PUMP) in Uronephrology (5R25DK126633-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10860999. Licensed CC0.

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