Building the Network of Minority Health Research Investigators: A Novel Program to Enhance Leadership and Success of Underrepresented Minorities in Biomedical Research

Abstract

Background: To address the myriad of health problems and disparities that affect the United States (US) population, the mix of health care professionals and researchers must reflect the full diversity of the nation. There continues to be discrepancy between the number of trained scientists and bio­medical researchers from underrepresented populations relative to the overall popula­tion. A scarcity of formal and informal net­working opportunities for minority research­ers and health care providers contribute to this lack of diversity.Objective: The purpose of this article is to report the outcomes of an established junior minority faculty mentoring program. The Network of Minority Health Research Investigators (NMRI) was established by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) in 2002. We present outcome data from 2008 to the present.Methods: The Oversight and Planning Committees of the NMRI developed an 18-question survey. The NMRI program analyst conducted a pilot test of the survey and made modifications to ensure readabil­ity and understanding. From 2008 – 2018, we administered the survey in both paper and electronic versions to junior and senior members of NMRI. Descriptive results identified the participants. We used open coding to extrapolate recurring statements, words, and themes that were organized into four final categories: reasons for attending NMRI; mentoring; career development; and social support.Results: Participants were primarily post-doctoral researchers or assistant professors seeking promotion to instructor or associ­ate professor with tenure (64%). Consistent reasons for participating in the Network included: career development; emotional support; mentorship for research; devel­oping or refining skills for grant writing; lab management; poster presentations; and applying for tenure. Areas of research interest included diabetes, kidney diseases, nutrition, obesity, and bioinformatics.Conclusions: While the number of respons­es to the survey varied annually, the qualita­tive results suggest that career development and social support provided through the Network were the largest motivators for participation. Ethn Dis. 2019;29(Suppl 1):119-122; doi:10.18865/ed.29.S1.119.

Mentoring New and Early-Stage Investigators and Underrepresented Minority Faculty for Research Success in Health-Related Fields: An Integrative Literature Review (2010–2020)

“…Also important are managing data, projects and teams ( n = 7) [ 47 , 48 , 62 , 75 , 79 , 87 , 88 ], and learning organizational dynamics and navigating political traps ( n = 6) [ 46 , 63 , 65 , 73 , 76 , 88 ]. An interpersonal skill not included in the table, but mentioned in some papers is responding to feedback ( n = 5) [ 43 , 46 , 47 , 78 , 88 ]. Compared to being defensive about feedback, responding appropriately can facilitate continued corrective mentoring, and result in more published papers and funded grants.…”

“…Five papers recommended pre-screening research skills to determine the best mentors and mentoring strategies for each mentee [ 47 , 56 , 68 , 70 , 84 ], and one paper recommended this strategy for UMF [ 38 ]. Knowing the promotion and tenure standards, which was mentioned, but not included in the table, was considered an important institutional facilitator by Blanchard et al [ 43 ], Feldman et al [ 59 ], Flores et al [ 60 ], and Martina et al [ 68 ].…”

“…UMF include Black or African American, Hispanic or LatinX, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders. Women are underrepresented in certain disciplines, notably academic medicine [ 41 ] and STEM fields [ 42 ], and sexual minority researchers are underrepresented in scientific leadership positions—even in areas where diseases disproportionately affect them (e.g., HIV-AIDS) [ 43 ].…”

Strategic Partnerships to Advance Health Equity

“…Five articles present the value of research networks and institutional strategies for building a diverse scientific workforce to tackle health equity research. [17][18][19][20][21] Westfall et al discuss practice-based research networks as vital components of the translational research pathway from discovery to implementation and dissemination and crucial for grantsmanship. 19 An intriguing institutional coordinated plan for partnerships to achieve health equity and biomedical workforce diversity is discussed by Vishwanatha et al 20 Ofili et al provide an update on how the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program and the RCMI Translational Research Network are addressing health inequity challenges in biomedical research through strategic partnerships with multiple and diverse stakeholders.…”

A diverse nation calls for a diverse healthcare force

“…These numbers are even more striking within healthcare leadership, with 98% of healthcare organization leaders being White [3]. Racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented in other sectors of medicine making up roughly 19.2% and 8% of registered nurses and PhD investigators, respectively [4,5]. These statistics emphasize the need to urgently and systematically address homogeneity in the medical workforce, which has been documented to negatively impact health outcomes, particularly amongst those from underserved backgrounds as well as racial and ethnic minorities [6À8].…”