# Advancing Success and Persistence in Research Education (ASPiRE)

> **NIH NIH R25** · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · 2024 · $346,564

## Abstract

Abstract
Although substantial progress has been made in attracting individuals from backgrounds underrepresented in
biomedical research (URiBR) to STEM careers, the number of URiBR students in biomedical graduate programs
remain suboptimal. Attrition along the career development path attenuates the impact of diversity programs
targeting early stages of the pipeline. Reasons for this attrition are many, but include under-preparation,
insufficient mentorship and networking opportunities, and lack of belonging stemming from inadequate
representation at the faculty level. Weill Cornell Medicine has a longstanding institutional commitment to
diversity, equity, and inclusion, scientific excellence, and mentoring the next generation of scientists and
physician scientists. The proposed program, Advancing Success and Persistence in Research Education,
ASPiRE will augment current WCM efforts by focusing on a population not targeted by existing pathway/capacity
building programs: postbaccalaureate scholars. ASPiRE will leverage existing programs, relationships with local
and regional partner institutions (Cornell University, Hunter College, Brooklyn College) and WCM presence at
national graduate and medical school recruitment meetings to recruit talented scholars who will benefit from
additional support to be competitive for admission in PhD and MD/PhD programs. The selected scholars will be
paired with a primary research faculty mentor based on their career interests, collegiate research experiences
and the expertise of the faculty member. An additional faculty member, at an academic rank different from the
research mentor, will serve as a career mentor. In addition, the scholars will be paired with current 1st or 2nd year
URiBR graduate students who will serve as near-peer mentors. This tiered mentorship structure will ensure that
our scholars have mentors and advisors at multiple levels of the professional development spectrum and thus
exposure to the many factors and considerations along the academic scientific career path. The experiential
research training will be complemented with professional development advising, coaching and skill building. We
will also provide the expertise of an educational psychologist who will meet with students collectively and
individually to assess and build personalized academic success strategies relevant to their roles as research
trainees, graduate school applicants and future graduate/medical students. We expect that the combination of
research education, career development coaching, tiered mentorship and community building activities will yield
short- and long-term dividends. In the short term, we expect scholars to progress successfully to PHD or MD/PhD
programs within two years of program participation. In the long term, we project that program participation will
produce longevity as academic research faculty.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10928798
- **Project number:** 5R25GM152362-02
- **Recipient organization:** WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV
- **Principal Investigator:** Yazmin Paulina Carrasco
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $346,564
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-13 → 2029-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10928798

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10928798, Advancing Success and Persistence in Research Education (ASPiRE) (5R25GM152362-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-15 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10928798. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*