# KU Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS LAWRENCE · 2020 · $360,771

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The University of Kansas (KU) requests renewal of its Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program (KU
PREP). KU PREP seeks to train an additional thirty-five scholars over five years to pursue research doctorates
and become leaders in the biomedical workforce, placing special emphasis on increasing the number of
American Indian (AI) scholars conducting doctorate-level biomedical research. KU is a premier research
institution classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a “Doctoral University: Very High Research Activity” and is
a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU). KU PREP recruits a diverse array of qualified
scholars and is uniquely positioned to recruit and train AI scholars due to long-standing and wide-ranging
collaborations between KU and Haskell Indian Nations University (both located in Lawrence, Kansas). The
activities of KU PREP scholars are shaped by a comprehensive individual development plan (IDP) that is initiated
prior to the scholars’ arrival on campus and is continually re-evaluated and adjusted by the scholars and the
PREP mentoring team. Research training is a central focus of the IDP, and each KU PREP scholar completes
a research project in a biomedically-focused laboratory that develops the scholar’s ability to create and test a
scientific hypothesis and obtain the skills necessary to conduct independent, reproducible biomedical research.
PREP scholars also enroll in coursework that improves their quantitative/computational and data analysis
competencies and participate in activities focused on developing their oral and written scientific communication
skills. Each scholar’s work culminates with a presentation at the annual KU-Haskell Research Symposium and
the completion of a journal style article on their research project. KU PREP’s Professional and Personal
Development series focuses on promoting scholars’ well-being (e.g., building resilience and addressing common
challenges faced by scientists from underrepresented groups), helping them mature as professionals while
maintaining their cultural identities, and increasing their self-efficacy and science identity. The mentoring team
works closely with scholars to establish and strengthen a comprehensive support network that they will be able
to utilize during PREP and their subsequent doctoral programs. This network includes the scholar’s PREP
research mentor and other KU research collaborators and peers, members of the PREP team, and (ultimately)
the scholar’s graduate research advisor and other individuals/groups specifically identified to provide necessary
support at the scholar’s graduate institution. KU PREP alumni also play a key role in the support network, and
communications between current KU PREP scholars and alumni are now greatly facilitated by our participation
in the KU Alumni Association’s online mentoring network. Regular evaluation of the program allows KU PREP
to build on its successes while addressing challenges and seek...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9854637
- **Project number:** 2R25GM078441-14
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS LAWRENCE
- **Principal Investigator:** V GUSTAVO BLANCO
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $360,771
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2006-09-30 → 2025-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9854637

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9854637, KU Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (2R25GM078441-14). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9854637. Licensed CC0.

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