# Administrative Supplement for the URI ESTEEMED Training Program at the University of Rhode Island: Enhancement of Training Outcomes and Mentor Training

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND · 2024 · $101,585

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The University of Rhode Island proposes to supplement the URI ESTEEMED program to improve the training
outcomes of a diverse cohort of students from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue advanced education
and degrees in bioengineering and related disciplines. The goals for this supplement are (1) to enhance the
training outcomes of URI ESTEEMED Scholars by expanding the trainee cohort to improve peer-to-peer
networking, providing additional one-on-one academic support for trainees, and increasing the opportunity for
near-peer mentorship, and (2) to strengthen mentor training in the research environment at URI by creating a
formal Inclusive Mentor Training Program, providing intensive mentorship training opportunities for faculty and
graduate student mentors, and increasing the number of training facilitators in Rhode Island. To achieve these
goals, the URI ESTEEMED program will recruit two additional students per cohort, add two undergraduate near-
peer mentors during the academic year, retain a full-time graduate assistant throughout the calendar year and
provide additional support to the Program Coordinator, PI, and Co-PI. Additionally, URI ESTEEMED personnel
will complete facilitator training in collaboration with the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in
Research (CIMER) for the Entering Mentoring and Culturally Aware Mentoring curricula, allowing them to serve
as facilitators for these trainings, and by providing these training opportunities to faculty mentors. These efforts
will be assessed through qualitative surveys conducted by the Program Coordinator and through the established
CIMER assessment platforms. In recognizing the challenges facing underrepresented students during the
college transition, this administrative supplement will thereby provide the needed support to retain trainees and
improve the development of soft and technical skills necessary for conducting research in bioengineering and
related fields.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11038770
- **Project number:** 3R25EB034489-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND
- **Principal Investigator:** Samantha Meenach
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $101,585
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2023-05-01 → 2025-03-21

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11038770

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11038770, Administrative Supplement for the URI ESTEEMED Training Program at the University of Rhode Island: Enhancement of Training Outcomes and Mentor Training (3R25EB034489-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11038770. Licensed CC0.

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