STrengthening Research OpportuNities for Growth at Meharry Medical College (Meharry-STRONG)

Project Summary/ Abstract The goal of the STrengthening Research OpportuNities for Growth at Meharry Medical College (Meharry- STRONG) Program is to assess research capacity and develop an institution-wide action plan to meet our specific needs identified. We hypothesize that first developing an infrastructure that supports engaged evaluation of our research capacity will allow us to perform high quality needs assessment and develop an action plan that truly permits capability enhancement. In Aim 1, we will engage stakeholders before developing and administering the needs assessment, which includes both qualitative and quantitative tools. In Aim 2, we will analyze results and interpret data based on topic areas: administrative, research, and faculty and student development. In Aim 3, we will formulate an institutional action plan that incorporates interventions to build capacity at Meharry. The plan will provide a detailed roadmap for enhancing our research infrastructure and capacity using step by step additions to gradually and progressively build on past successes to generate momentum. Accomplishment of our aims will provide Meharry with an actionable and realistic plan to increase competitiveness in the biomedical research enterprise and foster an environment conducive to developing research careers for our trainees and faculty.