1. PROJECT SUMMARY Stanford’s Research and Mentoring Program for Underrepresented Pre-dental students (RAMP UP) aims to create a unified oral healthcare career program by increasing the interest of underrepresented minority (URM), first generation and low-income (FLI) high school and community college students in oral healthcare careers. We will do so through two avenues: 1) career awareness activities during the academic school year designed to increase URM/FLI students’ interest in an oral healthcare career and 2) through a paid, 8-week hands-on summer research internship. RAMP UP is a partnership. Mountain View Los Altos (MVLA) school district has two programs, AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) and CTE (Career Technical Education), that engage a predominantly URM/FLI student body in career awareness activities. Our partnership with MVLA provides an extensive oral healthcare-specific curricula along coupled with hands-on workshops to high school students who participate in AVID and CTE. Thirty-two MVLA teachers partner with 11 Stanford mentors in this academic year component of RAMP UP. These career awareness activities set the stage for recruiting URM/FLI students to the summer research component of RAMP UP. RAMP UP’s 8-week summer internship is modeled after- and will replace- our highly successful 21-year-old STaRS summer research internship. Our RAMP UP 8-week, hands-on summer internship emphasizes research skill building, and their direct application to NIDCR-funded research initiatives. DDS, PhD, and DDS/PhD mentors will serve as research guides, which pre- dental undergraduates serving as near-peer support. Interns will be involved in cutting-edge research projects, thereby advancing knowledge in the dental regenerative medicine space. Each week, community-building social activities created in partnership with local dental schools will stimulate both a sense of discovery and a sense of inclusiveness within the summer program. An end-of-summer research symposium provides ample opportunity for honing communication skills and networking, as well as allowing students a chance to celebrate their achievements with family, friends, and other scientists. RAMP UP leadership and key personnel are deeply committed to diversity efforts. Dr. Dyani Gaudilliere DDS, MS, MPH is African American and Native American, who has focused on increasing equity and access for underserved populations in her position as Chief of Stanford’s Dental Medicine & Surgery. Dr. Jill Helms DDS, PhD is the Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Department of Surgery, where she leads a research laboratory focused on craniofacial biology and regenerative dental medicine. She has served as the Director of a hands-on summer research internship for underrepresented youth since its inception. A rigorous evaluation plan is in place to identify weaknesses, strengths, and provide suggestions for programmatic improvements, and a robust dissemination plan ...