Mentored training to increase diversity among faculty in the biomedical sciences: The NHL BI Summer Institute Programs to Increase Diversity (SI PID ) and the Programs to Increase Diversity among Individuals Engaged in Health-related Research (PRIDE )

Objective: To report baseline character­istics of junior-level faculty participants in the Summer Institute Programs to Increase Diversity (SIPID) and the Programs to In­crease Diversity among individuals engaged in Health-Related Research (PRIDE), which aim to facilitate participants’ career devel­opment as independent investigators in heart, lung, blood, and sleep research. Design and Setting: Junior faculty from groups underrepresented in the biomedical-research workforce attended two, 2-3 week, annual summer research-education programs at one of six sites. Programs provided didactic and/or laboratory courses, workshops to develop research, writing and career-development skills, as well as a mentoring component, with regular contact maintained via phone, email and webinar conferences. Between summer institutes, trainees participated in a short mid-year meeting and an annual scientific meeting. Participants were surveyed during and after SIPID/PRIDE to evaluate program compo­nents. Participants: Junior faculty from under­represented populations across the United States and Puerto Rico participated in one of three SIPID (2007-2010) or six PRIDE programs (2011-2014). Results: Of 204 SIPID/PRIDE participants, 68% were female; 67% African American and 27% Hispanic/Latino; at enrollment, 75% were assistant professors and 15% instructors, with most (96%) on non-tenure track. Fifty-eight percent had research doctorates (PhD, ScD) and 42% had medi­cal (MD, DO) degrees. Mentees’ feedback about the program indicated skills develop­ment (eg, manuscript and grant writing), access to networking, and mentoring were the most beneficial elements of SIPID and PRIDE programs. Grant awards shifted from primarily mentored research mechanisms to primarily independent investigator awards after training.  Conclusions: Mentees reported their career development benefited from SIPID and PRIDE participation. Ethn Dis. 2017;27(3):249-256; doi:10.18865/ed.27.3.249