IMSD: An Initiative to Maximize Student Development in Biomedical Research at MU

The University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) proposes to continue an IMSD T32 training program for doctoral students from groups that are underrepresented (UR) in biomedical research to become successful scientists pursuing careers in the biomedical workforce. The mission of our training program is to facilitate the transformation of our trainees into independent scientists who are active producers of new biomedical knowledge and are adept at solving the complex problems of disease and illnesses that adversely affect human health. Our training program accomplishes this mission by bringing together four PhD programs including Biological Sciences, Biochemistry, Biological Engineering, and Translational Biosciences. The latter program includes parallel emphasis areas (tracks) covering specialties including microbiology & virology, gene & stem cell therapy, immunology, physiology, nutrition & exercise science, cancer biology, and epidemiology & precision health. We propose to use science identity as our organizing principle, with its composition of community belonging, self-efficacy, and achieved deliverables, and its special note in the literature that UR trainees, more than non-UR trainees, may be particularly responsive to programmatic improvements in this arena. Objective #1: To increase participation of UR students in four doctoral programs from the current level of 20% to 30%. Objective #2: To strengthen the inclusive and supportive nature of our training community by providing training to improve the quality of the peer- and mentor-mentee relationships that are so critical to career success and satisfaction. Objective #3: To expedite fluency in the scientific method. We will institute a Critical Thinking Workshop to be followed by a new course, Biomedical Literature Colloquium, for primary literature critique, presentation, and writing. Objective #4: To promote professional communication skills and increase achieved deliverables in the form of external fellowship wins and peer-reviewed publications. Objective #5: To improve the PhD completion rate of IMSD trainees in the participating biomedical doctoral programs from the current level of 74% to 85%. Our active program evaluation structure will allow independent, professional assessment of trainees’ sense of science self- efficacy, science identity, perceived supports, and satisfaction with mentoring relationships, all of which are predictors of academic satisfaction and persistence outcomes among students from UR backgrounds. The IMSD T32 program will implement a wide-ranging set of programmatic activities to develop the technical, operational, and professional skills that will enable our UR trainees to flourish in their independent scientific careers.