< Return to the Newsletter Archive

Special Edition

In This Edition

December 22, 2016

Special Edition

NIH DPC Newsletter

Consortium News

CEC Receives OMB Approval!

November, 2016 Los Angeles CA - Hooray!!! The NIH and CEC teams are very pleased to announce that the Diversity Program Consortium just received the long-awaited Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval. This means that the CEC is now able to actively and fully participate and support data collection for the consortium. CEC teams will be communicating with consortium members to determine how the CEC can work to reduce the burdens previously assumed by local site teams. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at the BUILD and NRMN sites for all of their assistance to date in helping to ensure that the consortium’s work moves forward. For any comments/questions, feel free to contact your site's Associate Lead and the Data Coordination Core Director, Dr. Teresa Seeman.
For more information click here.

DPC at SACNAS 2016

As part of its efforts to increase the footprint of the consortium at the national level and also broaden its collaboration with organizations such as SACNAS, the CEC hosted a mixer for students, faculty and staff of the various BUILD programs, NRMN and NIH at the 2016 SACNAS Conference. Building on the momentum generated from its own annual conference, this platform provided BUILD scholars, NRMN, CEC and NIH program staff a unique avenue to interact and share ideas.
For more information click here.

The DPC at the 2016 ABRCMS Conference

This year's ABRCMS conference was held in Tampa, Florida November 9th to 12th. Representatives from many of the DPC attended and brought their students to participate in the conference activities and/or present their research. Rumor has it that many of the DPC participating institutions who attended ABRCMS had students receive awards for their research!!! :) It was a very exciting and fun experience. In addition to the general program, the CEC hosted an activity session with BUILD students in the evening that included a "mannequin challenge" closing proposed and led by the students. Read on for more details on the awards and the exciting DPC session! :)
For more information click here.

The DPC's 2016 Annual Meeting

Long Beach, CA. October 11-12 – The Coordination and Evaluation Center, on behalf of the Executive Steering Committee, hosted the Diversity Program Consortium (DPC) third annual meeting at the Hilton Long Beach with over 110 attendees from across the country. Over the two-day period, representatives of the various BUILD and NRMN programs across the country participated in various activities focused on the theme, “Making Science Smarter: Improving the Biomedical Think-Force through Diversity.” The activities highlighted consortium-wide achievements, prospects for the coming year and best practices on how to demonstrate consortium achievements to a broader audience.
For more information click here.
Research Digest

NRMN at SACNAS 2016: The 1st NRMN Meet and Greet Networking Event, Mentoring Through Movement Workshop and More

The National Research Mentoring Network shares a glimpse into its activities at this year's SACNAS 2016.
For more information click here.

BUILDing Knowledge on the Intersection of Ethnic & Scientific Identity at SACNAS

SACNAS brings together the expertise from two CSU BUILD sites to discuss the intersection of Ethnic & Science Identity and how it can affect student success in science. Representatives from San Francisco State University, California State University, Northridge and UC Berkeley provided their expertise on Stereotype Threat and Critical Race theories to increase knowledge of how the intersectionality of ethnic and science identities affects underrepresented minority students on different campuses. The session was led my moderator, Dr. Leticia Márquez-Magaña and included presentations from Ghilamichael Andemeskel, Drs. Gabriela Chavira, Alegra Eroy-Reveles, and Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton.
For more information click here.

Morgan State ASCEND Scholars Excel at ABRCMS 2016

Twenty-eight of Morgan State University's ASCEND Scholars attended the 2016 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS). ASCEND Scholars Oluwafunmilayo Ayeni, Kelly Boham, Jada Boyd, Markea Carter, Shirley Green, and Aliyah Tolliver presented posters on their research. Deshawn Collington presented her research as an oral presentation, and won an award in the oral presentation category.
For more information click here.

NRMN Announces New Principal Investigator/Executive Director

NRMN is excited to announce the new Principal Investigator/Executive Director of the National Research Mentoring Network Administrative Core, Rafael Luna, Ph.D.! Luna will begin on November 9 and will kick off by attending ABRCMS in Tampa. Attached is a brief synopsis of Luna's background.
For more information click here.

Comings and Goings

Please join us in thanking and welcoming those who are joining or leaving the DPC! This section will provide updates on the coming and goings of DPC personnel and individuals associated with the consortium. For more on our new team members and members transitioning to new roles, read on.
For more information click here.

BUILD EXITO Welcomes a New Staff Member!

BUILD EXITO is so excited to welcome a new coordinator for our Research Learning Communities!
For more information click here.

Part of the Scientific Community

Christina Jones, ReBUILDetroit scholar, identifies herself as part of the scientific community after attending the Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign last month.
For more information click here.

BUILD PODER at SACNAS: Students, Speakers, SROPs, Galore!

SACNAS this year in Long Beach was a first-time experience for many on the BUILD PODER team. The conglomeration of so many diverse students and professionals was truly a sight to see.
For more information click here.

BUILD EXITO Scholars had a Great Summer with EXITO Programming!

BUILD EXITO was thrilled to provide our first cohort of Scholars with intensive research training and experience this past summer. The learning objectives for these programs include providing Scholars with skills and strategies for academic success, assisting students in making productive contributions in the Research Learning Community (RLC), exposure to career paths, building Scholar relationships with mentors, peers, and mentees, and developing critical thinking, research focus, and communication skills.
For more information click here.

Scholar wins "Best Undergraduate Poster"

University of Detroit Mercy chemistry sophomore and ReBUILDetroit scholar, Kathrine Yacoo and her lab partner, Danielle Maxwell, won the “Best Undergraduate Poster Presentation Award” at the Association of Analytical Chemists (ANACHEMS) annual symposium earlier this month.
For more information click here.

Research examines vitamin D deficient athletes

Low vitamin D levels have been associated with things like depression and lower mental cognition. Alaskans are particularly affected by this issue, given the lack of direct sunlight in winter months, and athletes on campus may be at particular risk. A previous study done at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has shown student-athletes have lower vitamin D levels than other students. This is one of the areas of research that doctorate student Scott Jerome has been working on in his lab with Biomedical Learning and Student Training (BLaST) undergraduate researchers.
For more information click here.

ReBUILDetroit scholars win awards at Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students

Three scholars from the ReBUILDetroit program won awards for best posters in the Social and Behavioral, Public Health discipline category at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) in Tampa, Florida, last month.
For more information click here.
Resources & References

UCLA, Cal State LA Collaborate to Prepare Young Scientists

UCLA receives $2.8 million grant to train teachers in STEM fields. A new training program between the two schools will provide recently graduated UCLA doctoral students doing postdoctoral research with experience in integrating lab work with innovative teaching in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, commonly referred to as STEM, by having them teach at Cal State LA.
For more information click here.
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 .