PROJECT SUMMARY The goal of this renewal of our successful R25 program is to continue to increase the numbers of underrepresented minorities (URMs) pursuing careers in cardiovascular medical research by providing URM undergraduate students with a short-term mentored research experience in the laboratories of members of Stanford School of Medicine’s Cardiovascular Institute (CVI). We propose continuing the success of our existing R25 program, which was already extremely effective in its first cycle. Our program recruited 65 students from underrepresented backgrounds, all of whom intend pursue careers in cardiovascular research and medicine. Additionally, pre- and post-program evaluations showed that our R25 trainees experienced significant gains in their skills and confidence in performing research. Cardiovascular diseases are leading causes of death and disability in the US, However, these diseases do not affect all US subpopulations equally. Underrepresented minorities such as African Americans and Latino/Hispanic Americans experience a significantly higher risk of death or disability from heart disease or stroke. These groups, which constitute a growing fraction of the total US population, have historically been medically underserved by both medical clinics and medical research. Due to problems with both the recruitment and retention, African Americans, Latino/Hispanic Americans and Native Americans are significantly underrepresented in the cardiovascular research workforce. In terms of cardiovascular research, minority researchers are more likely to focus on and be aware of environmental, genetic, and behavioral variations between groups that can affect diagnosis and treatment. It has been shown that participation in mentored research increases the degree to which URM students identify as scientists and persist in academic and medical research career. However, because there are more undergraduates seeking research experiences than there are available positions, many undergraduate students, particularly URM students, lack the opportunity to perform independent research in an academic lab. This R25 will continue to: 1) provide undergraduate URM students with technical training and experience in cardiovascular research; 2) provide URM students with cardiovascular researcher mentors and role models; and 3) build relationships between Stanford Medicine and minority-serving institutions. Stanford Medicine in general and the Cardiovascular Institute in particular are known for excellence in cardiovascular research. The Program Directors and Program Faculty involved in this R25, many of whom are themselves URMs, have ongoing state-of-the-art research programs spanning population outcome, clinical and translational, and basic cardiovascular research, and welcome the opportunity to continue to mentor URM R25 trainees. Together they have the mentoring expertise and the available resources to continue to support R25 trainees though our successful summer r...