Training in Cardiovascular Sciences for Under Represented Students

PROJECT SUMMARY
This application is for an R25 to fund “Training in Cardiovascular Sciences for Under Represented Students
(CURS)” a Short-Term Research Education Program to Increase Diversity in Health-Related Research (R25
Clinical Trial Not Allowed) through the RFA-HL-19-024 mechanism. CURS will be modeled after Columbia
University's highly successful NINDS funded SPURS Program which has provided an intense undergraduate
research experience focusing on neuroscience on the campus of Columbia's College of Physicians &
Surgeons (P&S) for talented students from backgrounds that are under-represented in biomedical research
for the past 17 years. CURS will use this highly successful model and to train underrepresented students in
cardiovascular sciences. In the past SPURS participants have been accepted primarily from the City
University of New York (CUNY) senior colleges, including Hunter, Brooklyn, Queens, and City Colleges,
though in recent years we have extended our outreach and have accepted applications nationwide. Examples
of recent institutions SPURS has drawn underrepresented students from include Columbia University,
Barnard College, New York University, Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and Amherst
College. CURS will provide extensive training in basic science research, and enhance the likelihood that the
students will achieve a career in science by pursuing an advanced degree (M.D. and/or Ph.D.). To expand
opportunities for under-represented minority undergraduate students to participate in high quality, focused
and sustained research experiences in the cardiovascular sciences the PI, Dr. Andrew Marks, Department
Chair of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics and founder of Columbia University's SPURS program is applying
for resources to start a program that will provide training that will enhance the diversity of the pool of trainees
in cardiovascular sciences using a proven model of success. The applicant pool for SPURS has grown to well
over 100 each year consisting of highly qualified minority student participants. Students selected for support
through NIH's R25 Summer Research Experience Programs solicitation (RFA-HL-19-024) will perform hands-
on research for nine summer weeks under the mentorship of Columbia University cardiovascular faculty
scientists (currently 97 Columbia University faculty receive NHLBI support). In addition to specific training in
cardiovascular sciences, the students will receive in-depth training in research methodology including: (a) the
design and analysis of experiments; (b) critical reading of scientific literature through journal clubs; (c) ethics
in science; (d) the presentation of scientific results at laboratory meetings; (e) presentation of their research
at poster sessions; (f) an oral presentation of their research to an audience of scientists; and (g) career
counseling. Training will provide a uniquely enriching setting that includes weekly meetings with under-
represented minority role models in biomedical research. The CURS program will address the critical need to
increase the pipeline of highly qualified minority trainees in cardiovascular sciences.