# IRACDA at Rochester Partnership to Advance Research and Academic Careers in Deaf Scholars

> **NIH NIH K12** · UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · 2024 · $1

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The primary objective of the Rochester Partnership to Advance Research and Academic Careers of Deaf
(RPP-DEAF) Scholars is to rigorously train and support the career advancement of deaf and hard of hearing
(D/HH) post-doctoral Scholars for independent academic careers that support the biomedical research
enterprise. This is an important unmet national need, because the D/HH community is greatly
underrepresented in the biomedical sciences academic workforce. In order to address this disparity, we have
partnered the faculty and programs of the University of Rochester (UR) with those of the Rochester Institute of
Technology (RIT) and its National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). To achieve our program goals, we
will pursue four Specific Aims; 1) To provide outstanding program leadership that “mentors the mentors”, builds
community for D/HH Scholars, and successfully coordinates program recruitment. This goal will be achieved
through (A) special training specific to this IRACDA program (including training in Deaf-aware mentoring
practices and Deaf culture), (B) training in mentoring diverse learners and (C) advanced mentoring training (for
research mentors) or leadership mentoring training (for program leaders).; 2) To provide individualized,
mentored teaching experiences and career development activities for all Scholars. Teaching experiences will
be provided principally at RIT/NTID, the teaching-intensive partner institution.; 3) To provide individualized,
mentored research experiences for all Scholars. Research experiences will be provided principally at UR, the
research-intensive partner institution.; and 4) To rigorously, comprehensively and continuously evaluate the
RPP-DEAF program. We will ensure that RPP-DEAF meets its goals by conducting comprehensive and
ongoing program evaluation of: Scholar Achievement, Faculty Mentorship & Program Leadership; and
Institutional Impact. We will recruit three new D/HH scholars per year, with a maximum of a three-year
appointment, in order to maintain a steady state cohort of 9 D/HH Scholars. Overall, this unique IRACDA
program will equip our Scholars with the comprehensive set of knowledge and skills in research, teaching and
professionalism necessary for successful academic careers - with the goal that all of our Scholars will acheive
full-time academic appointments in higher education and/or research institutions. This innovative inter-
institutional partnership is the first of its kind in the world and will begin to address the dearth of D/HH faculty at
academic institutions serving the nation's biomedical research needs. A long-term outcome will be the
attraction of more D/HH Scholars into careers in the biomedical sciences, a field in which D/HH persons are
greatly underrepresented.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10875475
- **Project number:** 5K12GM106997-09
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** GERARD J. BUCKLEY
- **Activity code:** K12 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2015-07-01 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10875475

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10875475, IRACDA at Rochester Partnership to Advance Research and Academic Careers in Deaf Scholars (5K12GM106997-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10875475. Licensed CC0.

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