# TRANSforming Bio-medical Research & Academic Faculty through Opportunity, TRaining, & Mentorship (TRANSFORM)

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2024 · $476,269

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Despite investment by the National Institutes of Health in training underrepresented minority (URM) biomedical
researchers, diversity at the independent investigator and academic leadership ranks (e.g., Associate and Full
Professors, Division Chiefs and Department Chairs) in academic medical institutions remains meager. In 2019,
among all 179,238 full-time faculty at medical degree-granting institutions, only 9.5% were URMs. The attrition
of intellectual capital from the academy painstakingly earned by URM mid-career faculty at the cusp of becoming
independent researchers and/or taking on leadership roles is disheartening. Despite the promising outcomes of
career development programs (CDP) in facilitating early career success, few CPDs intentionally support the
needs of URM mid-career faculty by bolstering their leadership skills and mentoring them to strengthen their
psychological safety and self-efficacy, both of which are critical for professional advancement. Our overall
objective is to transform the diversity of the biomedical research workforce by establishing a national CDP that
enhances retention, promotion, and attainment of institutional leadership roles, thereby promoting longevity of
academic research careers of URM mid-career faculty. Our proposed TRANSFORM program unites the
expertise and educational modalities of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the University
of Pittsburgh's Institute for Clinical Research Education, in partnership with three minority serving institutions and
Centers of Excellence to recruit mid-career faculty researchers at the cusp of promotion and deserving of
consideration for institutional leadership positions. By leveraging the AAMC’s annual Mid-Career Minority Faculty
Leadership Seminar as the entry point to our program, we will matriculate 20 scholars per year into a yearlong
multi-faceted program for URM mid-career faculty. Our program aims to 1) promote career satisfaction and
retention in research careers by strengthening psychological safety and self-efficacy through small group
coaching and peer mentoring, 2) increase academic promotion and leadership attainment by providing culturally
responsive leadership skills training, 3) accelerate research career trajectories for URM scholars by providing
individualized mentoring and interactive customized career development plans, and 4) build structured
opportunities to facilitate institutional change, by having URM scholars complete a collaborative leadership
project with an institutional leader (e.g. Division Chief, Dept Chair). Developed with the diversity of partnerships
necessary to ensure long-term sustainability, our innovative program will increase retention of mid-career faculty
and their promotion to senior ranks and leadership roles. Bolstering the ranks of senior URM researchers will, in
turn, aid in the recruitment and mentorship of future URM investigators, build equitable and inclusive institution...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10892107
- **Project number:** 5R25GM143262-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** ESA M DAVIS
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $476,269
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10892107

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10892107, TRANSforming Bio-medical Research & Academic Faculty through Opportunity, TRaining, & Mentorship (TRANSFORM) (5R25GM143262-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10892107. Licensed CC0.

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