Enhancing Diversity in the Public Health Research Workforce: The Research and Mentorship Program for Future HIV Vaccine Scientists

Sopher, Carrie J.; Adamson, Blythe; Andrasik, Michele P.; Flood, Danna M.; Wakefield, Steven; Stoff, David M.; Cook, Ryan S.; Kublin, James G.; Fuchs, Jonathan

doi:10.2105/ajph.2014.302076

Cited by 33 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…In addition, mentored research programs that are dedicated to increasing workforce diversity should have national reach to attract prospective students, and therefore program stipends should cover travel and living expenses to ensure promising candidates receive high quality immersion experiences. A clinical trial network-based mentored research program designed to attract medical students of color into HIV vaccine science was successful in marshaling these resources which was perceived by both mentors and mentees to be instrumental in the program’s early success (44). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growing the Pipeline of Diverse HIV Investigators: The Impact of Mentored Research Experiences to Engage Underrepresented Minority Students

et al. 2016

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Structured, mentored research programs for high school and undergraduate students from underrepresented minority (URM) backgrounds are needed to increase the diversity of our nation’s biomedical research workforce. In particular, a robust pipeline of investigators from the communities disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic is needed not only for fairness and equity but for insights and innovations to address persistent racial and ethnic disparities in new infections. We created the Summer HIV/AIDS Research Program (SHARP) at the San Francisco Department of Public Health for URM undergraduates as a 12-week program of hands-on research experience, one-on-one mentoring by a senior HIV investigator, didactic seminars for content and research methods, and networking opportunities. The first four cohorts (2012–2015) of SHARP gained research skills, built confidence in their abilities and self-identified as scientists. In addition, the majority of program alumni is employed in research positions and has been admitted to or is pursuing graduate degree programs in fields related to HIV prevention. While we await empirical studies of specific mentoring strategies at early educational stages, programs that engage faculty who are sensitive to the unique challenges facing diverse students and who draw lessons from established mentoring frameworks can help build an inclusive generation of HIV researchers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growing the Pipeline of Diverse HIV Investigators: The Impact of Mentored Research Experiences to Engage Underrepresented Minority Students

et al. 2016

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“…8 Access to research mentorship at the undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral levels, as well as during early career is critically important to the development of an independent research career 18 . Yet, institutions with the mission of educating predominantly racial/ethnic minority students such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Institutions with High Hispanic Enrollment (HHE), and Tribal Colleges (TC) are severely underfunded compared with mainstream institutions of higher education.…”

Section: Institutional Determinants Of Successful Transitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Final Frontier-Transitions and Sustainability: From Mentored to Independent Research

Zea

Bowleg

2016

AIDS Behav

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A recurrent theme in much of the contemporary HIV behavioral and social science research is that ecological approaches that acknowledge the interplay of structural, institutional, and individual-level factors are essential to improve HIV prevention efforts in racial/ethnic minority communities. Similarly, an ecological approach provides an innovative framework for understanding the challenges that many racial/ethnic minority HIV prevention researchers face in their quest to transition from mentored researcher to independent researchers. Informed by an ecological framework, and building on our experiences as two racial/ethnic minority women HIV prevention researchers who transitioned from a formal research mentorship relationship to become independent HIV prevention researchers — principal investigators of NIH-funded R01 grants —, we frame our discussion of the mentored to independence research trajectory with a focus on structural, institutional, and individual determinants. Throughout, we integrate suggestions for how institutions, mentors, and HIV prevention researchers can facilitate the final frontier from mentored research to independence.

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“…The Puerto Rico Comprehensive Center for the Study of HIV Disparities and the Mentoring Institute for HIV and Mental Health matches mentees with expertise in collaborating institutions [58]. Creating structured opportunities for training and research experience with senior mentors has also shown positive results in engaging minority students in HIV research [10,85]. For example, an analysis of the Research and Mentoring Program (RAMP) for minority medical students working in the international HIV Vaccine Trials Network showed significant improvements in self-reported knowledge and professional skill-related areas such as scientific writing.…”

Section: Creating An Infrastructure To Address the Challenges Faced Bmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, an analysis of the Research and Mentoring Program (RAMP) for minority medical students working in the international HIV Vaccine Trials Network showed significant improvements in self-reported knowledge and professional skill-related areas such as scientific writing. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in the proportion of participants who reported an intention to pursue a career in HIV/AIDS research, and a belief that such opportunities were open to program participants [85]. The Visiting Professors Program at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), through the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, supports faculty focused on HIV prevention research in minority communities [86].…”

Section: Creating An Infrastructure To Address the Challenges Faced Bmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting the HIV Training and Research Paradigm to Address Disparities in HIV Outcomes

Levison

Alegrı́a

2016

AIDS Behav

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Tailored programs to diversify the pool of HIV/AIDS investigators and provide sufficient training and support for minority investigators to compete successfully are uncommon in the US and abroad. This paper encourages a shift in the HIV/AIDS training and research paradigm to effectively train and mentor Latino researchers in the US, Latin America and the Caribbean. We suggest three strategies to accomplish this: 1) coaching senior administrative and academic staff of HIV/AIDS training programs on the needs, values, and experiences unique to Latino investigators; 2) encouraging mentors to be receptive to a different set of research questions and approaches that Latino researchers offer due to their life experiences and perspectives; and 3) creating a virtual infrastructure to share resources and tackle challenges faced by minority researchers. Shifts in the research paradigm to include, retain, and promote Latino HIV/AIDS researchers will benefit the scientific process and the patients and communities who await the promise of HIV/AIDS research.

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Enhancing Diversity in the Public Health Research Workforce: The Research and Mentorship Program for Future HIV Vaccine Scientists

Cited by 33 publications

References 23 publications

Growing the Pipeline of Diverse HIV Investigators: The Impact of Mentored Research Experiences to Engage Underrepresented Minority Students

Growing the Pipeline of Diverse HIV Investigators: The Impact of Mentored Research Experiences to Engage Underrepresented Minority Students

The Final Frontier-Transitions and Sustainability: From Mentored to Independent Research

Shifting the HIV Training and Research Paradigm to Address Disparities in HIV Outcomes

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