Neuroscience Diversity to Elevate Education and Research Development

Project Summary/Abstract: The number of Native Americans (NA) entering the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workforce is the smallest proportion of any ethnicity. At the same time, this group faces tremendous health disparities, with many directly linked to brain health. Education in, and awareness of, neuroscience-related health issues in NA communities involves three inter-related challenges: lack of a workforce culturally attuned to NA communities, systemic lack of capacity for on-site biomedical research, and significant mistrust of western scientific research and researchers. The proposed program focuses on developing NA health professionals and academic researchers who possess both cultural competence and trust from their communities, elements critical to eliminating health disparities and minority representation in STEM fields. In addressing these challenges, we first recognize that many NA students approach the world and the means to investigate it from fundamentally different philosophical perspectives. In contrast to highly reductionist Western models, traditional NA epistemological models are more holistic and narrative-based. Importantly, these models, in which animate and inanimate entities are connected and interdependent, should not be seen as pedagogic deficits, but rather as an innate strength that may allow these students to construct and expand upon sophisticated mental models of current scientific knowledge. We have developed an educational program that integrates established best pedagogical practices with neuroscience research learning experience. By integrating the holistic perspectives of NA cultures with the scientific problem-based approach of neuroscience, we will advance and enrich both perspectives. The training program proposed herein is designed to create a pipeline of NA students to advance from their undergraduate programs to post-baccalaureate neuroscience programs at top tier research universities, creating a model of culturally grounded STEM education while bolstering NIH workforce and cultural diversity. We will accomplish this goal through a series of interrelated aims. Our first specific aim is to develop and institute a recruitment plan to attract NA students interested in neuroscience. Our second specific aim is to develop a research experience and scientific training that integrates established best pedagogical practices with neuroscience research. Specifically, we will focus on developing the scientific literacy of the students, providing them with professional development opportunities and a sense of belonging within the academic community. Our third specific aim is focused on providing a mentoring and retention system for NA students to successfully transition into neuroscience graduate programs.