PROJECT SUMMARY Hypertension is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Longstanding racial and ethnic disparities in hypertension prevalence and outcomes persist, in part because interventions shown to be effective in clinical trials have not been translated into clinical practice. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree prepares experienced nurses to expertly manage chronic conditions and improve healthcare delivery through continuous translation of emerging evidence into clinical practice. The number of DNP graduates is growing, but structured translational research training opportunities with expert mentors in clinical settings are lacking, and DNP graduates report the need for additional didactic and hands-on skill building. The overarching goal of the Translational Research and Implementation Science for Nurses (TRAIN) program is to prepare DNP students for leadership in translational research to improve hypertension outcomes and reduce disparities therein. TRAIN is a novel 12-week summer program that will offer 8 DNP students an enhanced curriculum incorporating translational research methods with a special focus on implementation science related to hypertension prevention and management in diverse communities. The objectives TRAIN are to: (1) pair motivated DNP students from diverse backgrounds with mentors to gain direct experience on a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute mission-relevant clinical or health services research project; (2) provide participants with a didactic curriculum that enhances training in the principles and methods of translational research; (3) enhance participants’ research-related technical, communication and career-building skills and confidence to facilitate successful participation and leadership in translational research; and (4) encourage sustained mentorship and professional network building by establishing forums for ongoing contact and collaboration between program faculty, alumni, and current participants. The specific aims of TRAIN are to: (1) Develop, implement, iteratively refine, and sustain the 12-week summer program delivered via hands-on mentored research experience and classroom instruction; (2) Recruit and retain diverse cohorts of DNP students from underrepresented communities and disadvantaged backgrounds in the New York Metropolitan region via existing partnerships with schools of nursing; (3) Establish a network of TRAIN alumni and disseminate program resources to support training for diverse cohorts in other healthcare settings nationally; and (4) Evaluate the impact of TRAIN on student competencies, self-efficacy, and career trajectory using pre- and post- self-assessments, faculty assessments, and career goal assessments. The TRAIN Program will leverage the extensive research education resources of the Center for Nursing Research and Innovation at the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.