# Empirically Based Career Development Program for Historically Under-Represented Early Career Trainees Supported by NIDDK

> **NIH NIH UE5** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2024 · $159,080

## Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT
Despite increased awareness and provision of resources, there remain significant disparities in the
demographics of the workforce in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics, medicine (STEMM).
These disparities are the result of a “leaky pipeline” in which there is attrition of certain historically under-
represented groups at each stage of training and career advancement. In 2019-2020, 71% of doctoral degrees
in STEMM fields were awarded to individuals who were categorized as White race and ethnicity. In 2019,
although a higher number of women obtained a doctoral degree in a STEMM field compared to men, more than
twice as many people employed in management or higher positions in the same fields were male compared to
female. Prior studies showed that diversity within teams has many benefits, including innovation and strong
information processing. Several conceptual frameworks have identified social supports that are mediated by
enhanced self-efficacy and scientific identity to improve persistence to pursue a career in a STEMM field. Career
development programs that offer evidence-based interventions that are rooted in these empirical models may
be an individual-level approach to increase representation of historically under-represented groups in biomedical
sciences. The purpose of this project, in partnership with NIDDK, is to offer a career development program to
early career trainees who are funded by NIDDK grants. We hypothesize that, over five years, program scholars
will report a strong sense of belonging and self-efficacy in the field; sustain and advance in their current career
trajectory; and obtain the next appropriate level of funding to establish their independent program of research.
The potential impact of this project is increased representation of early- and mid-career researchers from
historically under-represented groups conducting research relevant to the priority areas of NIDDK. Specifically,
this project targets individuals who are at the transition from culmination of training or early career investigators
to established researcher. The long-term potential implications include the potential to realize both direct benefits
for program scholars as well as broader indirect effects for future researchers

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10915580
- **Project number:** 5UE5DK137286-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Elena Flowers
- **Activity code:** UE5 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $159,080
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2028-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10915580

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10915580, Empirically Based Career Development Program for Historically Under-Represented Early Career Trainees Supported by NIDDK (5UE5DK137286-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10915580. Licensed CC0.

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