# Stanford Undergraduate URM Summer Cardiovascular Research Program

> **NIH NIH R25** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $166,163

## Abstract

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...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10904262
- **Project number:** 2R25HL147666-06
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** VINICIO A DE JESUS PEREZ
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $166,163
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2019-09-19 → 2029-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10904262

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10904262, Stanford Undergraduate URM Summer Cardiovascular Research Program (2R25HL147666-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10904262. Licensed CC0.

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