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Volume 1, Issue 6

In This Edition

April 19, 2016

Volume 1, Issue 6

NIH DPC Newsletter

Consortium News

Office of Management and Budget Approval

The OMB approval process is moving forward! Our application is now being reviewed by the NIH-OMB liaison and we hope to receive approval around August 1.
For more information click here.

Special Journal Issue: Aids and Behavior

The forthcoming special issue of Aids and Behavior, has a focus on mentoring in press that can be downloaded now. NRMN investigators collaborated with CEC members in an article, entitled Defining Attributes and Metrics of Effective Research Mentoring Relationships by Chris Pfund, Angela Byars-Winston, Janet Bradshaw, Sylvia Hurtado & Kevin Eagan ....
For more information click here.

National Report:

The report, Barriers and Opportunities for Two- and Four-Year STEM Degrees: Systemic Change to Support Students' Diverse Pathways (2016), from the Board on Science Education; Policy and Global Affairs Division, National Academies Press was recently released....
For more information click here.

Publications & Presentations Sub-Committee (PPsC)

The Publications & Presentations Sub-Committee (PPsC) has drafted the DPC Publication & Presentation Guidelines which are now being reviewed for approval by the Executive Steering Committee. The PPsC Co-chairs, Drs. Ambika Mathur and Barbara Taylor, will be presenting an overview of the Guidelines at the May 6th DPC Webinar...
For more information click here.

Communications Working Group (Comm WG)

The Comm WG has been up to lots of fun and exciting work! This month the Comm WG selected the logos they will propose to the Executive Steering Committee to become THE Consortium’s logo. Special thanks to the CEC designers who created the beautiful set of logos that integrated every site’s input. This month we also kicked off the site level communication strategy presentations.
For more information click here.

Executive Steering Committee (ESC)

What better way to start the Spring season than by approving a Data Sharing Policy? The DPC’s Data Sharing Policy (DSP; previously referred to as “Data Sharing Agreement”) was approved March 16th thanks to the arduous work and amazing leadership from each site and NIH. THANK YOU, ALL!
For more information click here.
People in Biomedicine

In Remembrance: Dr. Maria Teresa ("MT") Velez

It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Dr. Maria Teresa (“MT”) Velez. Dr. Velez, a clinical psychologist by training, who not only served in many leadership positions but also found time to mentor her students and serve as a role model to many in her community. She served as the Associate Dean of the Graduate College at University of Arizona (UA) for over 17 years, during which she prioritized increasing the diversity of the student body and made a difference in the personal and professional lives of her students.
For more information click here.

Amanda Grimes

Meet Amanda Grimes, currently an undergraduate student studying Wildlife Biology and Conservation at UAF with an emphasis in veterinary medicine, wildlife disease, and marine mammal toxicology. Ms. Grimes is also president of UAF's Pre-Vet Club and in the fall will begin the Collaborative Veterinary Program at University of Alaska Fairbanks and Colorado State University.
For more information click here.

Marcela Hernandez, PhD

Marcela Hernandez, PhD is the Graduate/STEM Diversity Director at Ohio State University's College of Arts and Sciences. She is a molecular biologist/biochemist dedicated to making graduate education and careers in STEM fields a successful experience for a new generation of scientists. She is particularly interested in recruiting and retaining individuals from groups underrepresented in these fields. Dr. Hernandez became involved with NRMN after meeting NRMN staff at the ABRCMS and SACNAS annual conferences in 2015, and has since signed up as a mentor on NRMN's virtual mentoring program, accessible through NRMNet. In this exclusive interview she speaks to NRMN about her pathway through science, the importance of mentorship to success, and what she has learned along the way.
For more information click here.

Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS

March 14, 2016. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) announced the appointment of Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, M.D., PhD., M.A.S., the PI of SF BUILD as chair of the Task Force and Susan J. Curry, PhD., as vice chair. Dr. Bibbins-Domingo and Dr. Curry were appointed to these positions by the director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Dr. Bibbins-Domingo will assume the role of chair from Albert L. Siu, M.D., M.S.P.H., who will now serve as the immediate past chair.
For more information click here.
In The News

What 'white folks who teach in the hood' get wrong about education

Dr. Chris Emdin, associate professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College, “criticizes the ‘white hero teacher’ concept as an archaic approach that sets up teachers to fail and further marginalizes poor and minority children in urban centers.”
For more information click here.

Boosting Science with Diversity

NOVA NEXT reports the struggle that many young scientists of color face “begins in elementary school, where Blacks, Latinos, and other children of color often face substantial science achievement gaps that widen throughout high school.”
For more information click here.

UTEP, EPCC get $725,000 STEM grant

The $725,000 grant from Educate Texas is part of an effort to "help EPCC and UTEP graduate more women and minorities in the STEM fields". For more on this story read the entire article in El Paso Inc.
For more information click here.

Minority graduation rates rise for SF State, a rarity in the west

SF State News reports “San Francisco State University counts as one of only three institutions on the West Coast to increase graduation rates among underrepresented minorities (URMs) by 12 or more percentage points, while also reducing the graduation gap between URMs and white students, a recent study revealed.”
For more information click here.

Morgan State University’s ASCEND Center Awards $300,000 in Grants for Faculty Research Projects

Morgan State University News reports “Morgan State University’s ASCEND Center for Biomedical Research has awarded six university faculty members with a total of $300,000 in grant awards ($50,000 each) for pilot research. The grants, which are awarded annually pending a review process, are made available to tenured or tenure-track faculty members at Morgan conducting a health-related research pilot project.”
For more information click here.

USC launches graduate student-focused diversity initiative

USC News reports “a university-wide diversity initiative focusing on graduate students will launch with programs this summer and fall and stipend opportunities the following fall.”
For more information click here.

At inauguration, Tulane president vows to improve diversity

The Times-Picayune reports Michael Fitts “promised to further Tulane's history as a university that bridges barriers among academic disciplines, between town and gown, between the campus and the world and – most notably – among students of different races and backgrounds.”
For more information click here.

Discrimination During Teen Years Can Have Health Repercussions Later in Life

CSUN Today reports “teens who believe they are discriminated against in their daily lives — whether because of their race, gender, age or physical size — have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol, according to a new study by California State University, Northridge child and adolescent development professor Virginia Huynh.”
For more information click here.

The Problem With the GRE

The Atlantic reports “In 2014, professors from Vanderbilt and the University of South Florida published a column in the science journal Nature denouncing the GRE as a test that fails because it takes a toll on student diversity—mainly the numbers of women, minorities, and economically disadvantaged students with high academic potential but relatively low GRE scores.”
For more information click here.

Black Male Youth Learn About STEM Entrepreneurship

AFRO reports “the “Entrepreneurship 101” program, held March 19 at Morgan State University’s School of Engineering, saw former Def Jam Records president and entrepreneur Kevin Liles speak to minority students about the importance of developing skills in entrepreneurship and engineering.”
For more information click here.
Research Digest

Grant Writing Coaching Group Program Hosted by Dr. Daniel Jay at Tufts Sackler School

On Tuesday March 1st Dr. Daniel Jay hosted an in-person kick-off session for an NRMN Grant Writing Coaching Group program on campus at the Sackler School.
For more information click here.

Coaches-in-Training Sought for Five NRMN Grantwriting Coaching Groups Nationwide

One of NRMN's goals is developing a national network of trained coaches committed to providing postdoctoral and junior faculty researchers with hands-on guidance and feedback on proposal writing and relevant areas of professional development across research careers in the biomedical sciences. In order to achieve this goal, four unique coaching models have been developed by faculty at participating institutions. NRMN is currently seeking new participants to train as coaches of the programs, through participation and real-time practices.
For more information click here.

NRMN hosts Research Mentor Training Workshop at Boston College

On Friday March 4th, 2016 NRMN hosted a Research Mentor Training Workshop on the campus of Boston College for roughly thirty participants. Graduate through tenured faculty traveled from their local home institutions, which include UMass Boston, UMass Amherst, Boston College, Harvard Medical School, Brown University, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Tufts University, Northeastern University, University of Vermont, UMass Medical School, and the Broad Institute.
For more information click here.

NRMN and Postdoctoral Scholars: A Mutually Beneficial Relationship

In response to studies on the lack of diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and recommendations made by the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director's Working Group on Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce, a number of strategies were funded, including the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN).
For more information click here.

SF BUILD's Dr. Marquez-Magana Serves on Panel Held for SF State's Latino Group

Dr. Marquez-Magana served on a panel for the Latino group at San Francisco State University. The panel focused on "Services for Latino Justice." During her presentation, she made the case that, "training efforts in SF BUILD not only provides resources and opportunities for Latino students to advance in science careers, but will ultimately provide science-related services to Latino communities."
For more information click here.

Morgan State Scholars in the Spotlight

At MSU, our ASCEND Scholars are winning awards and honors in many areas.
For more information click here.

Partnering with Better Futures to support students in foster care as they transition out of high school.

The BUILD EXITO Project at Portland State University includes an innovative program to promote post-secondary education participation among high-school students in foster care.
For more information click here.
Events

Diversity Consortium's Webinar Series

Event Date: Fri, May 06, 2016

About Us

The NIH Diversity Program Consortium (DPC) Newsletter provides updates on activities at DPC sites, shares progress on collaborative efforts within the consortium, and highlights news and recent publications related to diversity and mentoring in the biomedical sciences.




The Diversity Program Consortium Coordination and Evaluation Center at UCLA is supported by Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health / National Institutes of General Medical Sciences under award number U54GM119024.
Need Assistance? Please contact our support team: info@diversityprogramconsortium.org .