# San Antonio Biomedical Education and Research

> **NIH NIH K12** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCIENCE CENTER · 2020 · $821,783

## Abstract

Project Summary
 UT Health San Antonio (UTHSA), St. Mary’s University (StMU), and Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU)
developed the San Antonio Biomedical Education and Research (SABER) postdoctoral training program 4
years ago. SABER combines mentored training in state-of-the-art research with innovative pedagogic teaching
methods and guided teaching experiences. UTHSA, StMU, and OLLU are all Hispanic-Serving Institutions
(HSIs), a direct reflection of the regional population; San Antonio is the 7th largest city in the United States with
the largest Hispanic population in a Hispanic-majority city. UTHSA is also the only Tier-One research
university in South Texas and has a strong culture of educational excellence. Many alumni occupy faculty
positions at local institutions that predominantly serve Hispanic undergraduate students. The unique training
environments at UTHSA, StMU and OLLU promote faculty and trainee sensitivity to the needs of a large and
rapidly expanding population of Hispanic students. Hispanics accounted for half of the country’s growth in the
last decade and college enrollment of Hispanics is at an all-time high. However, Hispanics are
underrepresented at all levels of the scientific community. SABER has been highly successful in achieving the
overarching goal of the IRACDA program which is to prepare “a diverse and accomplished pool of scholars for
academic careers that closes the gap between the aspirations and achievements of undergraduates in our
region”. Seventeen (17) postdoctoral fellows were recruited into the SABER program; 10 were female, 8 were
from underrepresented groups and 10 were doctorally-prepared outside UTHSA. Moreover, 4 out of 5 SABER
alumni advanced into highly competitive faculty positions. The skills and knowledge gained in the SABER
infrastructure have been leveraged and integrated into the standard research training environment at UTHSA.
SABER positively impacted the scientific curricula at OLLU and StMU, increased research opportunities for
undergraduates and fostered faculty research. The programmatic goals of this successful training program are
to build on its achievements and amplify its impact with the following Objectives: 1) Expand the recruitment of
highly qualified SABER postdoctoral trainees. 2) Provide exemplary research, teacher, and professional
training for Scholars interested in academic careers at either primarily undergraduate institutions (PUI) or
research-intensive institutions (RII). 3) Build undergraduate research, foster research collaborations and
professional development of faculty as well as enhance the implementation of impactful research-based
science curricula using evidence-based teaching strategies at our Partner Institutions. 4) Expand the linkages
within SABER to regional academic institutions. Successful completion of these objectives will continue to
benefit all participating and regional academic institutions, and enhance the collective biomedical research
enviro...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9788778
- **Project number:** 2K12GM111726-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCIENCE CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** JAMES D LECHLEITER
- **Activity code:** K12 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $821,783
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2015-07-01 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9788778

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9788778, San Antonio Biomedical Education and Research (2K12GM111726-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9788778. Licensed CC0.

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