# “IMPACT: Coaching and Mentoring to Foster the Success of Historically Underrepresented Students in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

> **NIH NIH R25** · CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $237,766

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The Innovative Mentoring and Professional Advancement through Cultural Training (IMPACT) program is a
multi-dimensional, inter-institutional, collaborative mentoring program for students who identify with historically
underrepresented groups and who are interested in communication sciences and disorders (CSD). This
program is a collaboration between Case Western Reserve University, a top US research university, and
Hampton University, a top-ranked Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Currently, the program
supports 21 undergraduate students in CSD and clinical speech-language pathology graduate students. This
supplement has two aims. The first is to further enhance the students’ self-sufficiency and prospects for
success by adding group and individual coaching sessions that foster the development of robust professional
identities and life skills (including time management, organization, and stress management). This supplement
will support a carefully structured approach to cultivating these identities and skills in our current target
population. The second aim is to enhance the knowledge, self-efficacy, and sense of belonging of
underrepresented Doctor of Audiology (AuD) students. Because AuD programs tend to be small (an average of
10 students), underrepresented AuD students often find themselves in cohorts where none of their peers share
their background. Through this supplement, AuD students will have access to the entire IMPACT curriculum
and will participate in clinical case discussions, grand rounds, and journal groups, activities that will help build a
sense of community and social belonging. They will also have the opportunity to practice and enrich their
academic skills. Both coaching and mentoring will be delivered by program faculty who identify with historically
underrepresented groups. The supplement will enable us to assess the benefits of coaching paired with our
robust mentoring program for the students we currently serve as well as the effectiveness of our expanded
model for an online cohort of AuD students.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11039173
- **Project number:** 3R25DC020919-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Lauren Calandruccio
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $237,766
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2023-04-01 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11039173

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11039173, “IMPACT: Coaching and Mentoring to Foster the Success of Historically Underrepresented Students in Communication Sciences and Disorders. (3R25DC020919-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11039173. Licensed CC0.

---

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