# Scientific Communication Advances Research Excellence (SCOARE)

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · 2020 · $189,224

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 A diverse biomedical and behavioral workforce is essential to the health of the nation, yet retention of
diverse trainees in research careers has proven challenging. Mentor training is one intervention that has shown
promise in helping ensure that diverse trainees persist in their career path; fostering identity as a scientist is
another. The objective of the Scientific Communication Advances Research Excellence (SCOARE)
program is to provide research mentors with knowledge and skills to mentor their diverse trainees
effectively in the principles and practices of scientific communication, foundational skills for success
in research careers. The SCOARE curriculum design integrates elements based on research showing that
trainees raised speaking racial or ethnic varieties of English may experience the research environment
differently than others, and that effective mentoring in the practice of speaking, writing, and presenting
influences trainees’ intentions to persist in research careers. The long-term goal of SCOARE is to strengthen
career intention and build capacity of diverse research trainees by providing their mentors with SciComm
training. In Aim 1, a mentor workshop will be designed to equip participants with knowledge of why and how
trainee SciComm skills interact with productivity, outcome expectations, racial/ethnic identity, and career
intention; explain the principles of SciComm acquisition; provide mentors with feasible and effective practices
for improved mentoring; and provide continued reinforcement and support online. For Aim 2, evaluations of the
workshops and online resources will measure both mentor implementation of new practices and mentee gains
in productivity, outcome expectations, career intention, and increased sense of comfort in the research
environment. In Aim 3, evaluation results will inform the design and development of a facilitator training
program, and former workshop participants will have the opportunity to learn to deliver the workshops to
others, thereby extending the program’s reach. The curriculum and materials for both workshops will be made
publicly available, and evaluation results will be disseminated. Outcomes for this program include 1) fully
developed and evaluated SciComm mentoring workshops; 2) a fully developed and evaluated SciComm
facilitator training; and 3) a total of at least 500 mentors trained and 45 SCOARE Facilitators trained. The
program will be significant because it will empower mentors to employ SciComm skill development to train a
research workforce that is both skilled in communication and diverse; it will be innovative because it is
grounded in linguistic, pedagogical, and social-cognitive evidence that addresses powerful links among
language, motivation, and identity. Its impact will be to help retain trainees in research careers and thus build
a diverse biomedical and behavioral workforce possessing superior training and high professional
commitment, th...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9983119
- **Project number:** 5R25GM125640-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Carrie A. Cameron
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $189,224
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-19 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9983119

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9983119, Scientific Communication Advances Research Excellence (SCOARE) (5R25GM125640-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9983119. Licensed CC0.

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