# BUILD at Xavier, Project Pathways II

> **NIH NIH TL4** · XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA · 2020 · $1,125,312

## Abstract

Xavier University of Louisiana is first nationally in the number of African American graduates who go on to
earn doctoral degrees in the Life Sciences, and fifth in producing African American students who earn their
PhDs in Science and Engineering. This success occurs in spite of the fact that Xavier is a relatively small,
primarily undergraduate school and that the majority of its students face socioeconomic challenges. As
medicine and pharmacy are familiar professions to Xavier students and their families, and since the University
has a national reputation for producing health professionals, about 47% of Xavier’s new freshmen enter a premedical
curriculum and another 27% enter as pre-pharmacy students. However, of these students a large
percentage does not enter professional or pharmacy programs for various reasons. Thus, there are a
significant number of students at Xavier who are at risk of being left behind and who might choose careers in
biomedical research with early awareness, career advising, and hands-on research opportunities.
The national literature identifies unique barriers faced by underrepresented individuals entering into
biomedical research careers, including the lack of: (1) early awareness and deepening exposure to the type of
rewards associated with biomedical research careers, and the sense of accomplishment gained from success
in early biomedical educational experiences; (2) supportive relationships, particularly those related to faculty
advising and mentoring; (3) suitable educational infrastructure; and (4) active engagement in meaningful
biomedical research experiences and the presence of faculty and institutional resources needed to do this and
enter graduate programs successfully.
The Building Integrated Pathways to Independence for Diverse Biomedical Researchers Program at Xavier
University of Louisiana (Project Pathways) aims to transform Xavier’s educational and support systems to
better educate and engage students on the pathway to a biomedical research career, particularly those at high
risk of not entering or of exiting this pathway. The second phase, Project Pathways II is responding to the
findings of Project Pathways I by retaining, improving, or replacing initiatives as appropriate. Project Pathways
II aims to identify the initiatives which are most impactful, cost-effective, sustainable, and transferable. The
results of this Project Pathways II experiment will be widely disseminated to the greater academic community.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9978875
- **Project number:** 5TL4GM118968-07
- **Recipient organization:** XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
- **Principal Investigator:** MARYAM FOROOZESH
- **Activity code:** TL4 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,125,312
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2014-09-26 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9978875

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9978875, BUILD at Xavier, Project Pathways II (5TL4GM118968-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9978875. Licensed CC0.

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