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Tougaloo Celebrates 25th Anniversary of MARC Program
BY PATRICIA G. MURRAY, TOUGALOO COLLEGE

MARC Program: Forward Motion

The MARC program began at Tougaloo College with 4 trainees--today there are 13. Initial funding for the program has grown from $50,000 to more than $1.6 million for the 5-year grant period. At Tougaloo, the program supports a select group of students designated as MARC scholars, who are offered a competitive edge for advanced studies leading to the Ph.D. or M.D.-Ph.D. MARC also brings respected research scientists to the campus to conduct seminars and discuss research one-on-one with students, and it funds advanced-level courses in biology and chemistry. Trainees are selected at the end of their sophomore or junior years based on their academic performance and initiative. Mentoring by respected and experienced science faculty, professional travel, partial tuition, a monthly stipend for research projects, and off-campus research opportunities at several major universities are additional incentives of the program.

In February, Tougaloo College held a national conference to commemorate the university's entrance into its 25th year of MARC funding. Established in 1977, the Tougaloo MARC program has become one of the college's most successful initiatives.

Over the past two and a half decades, more than 128 students have completed the MARC program at Tougaloo. Most of these students have gone on to earn Ph.D.s, M.D.s, or M.D.-Ph.D.s in biomedical research or related fields from highly acclaimed institutions, including Harvard, Yale, Brown, Johns Hopkins, Duke, and Boston University.

Tougaloo's program and its longtime director, Dr. Bharati Mehrotra, have been recognized both regionally and nationally for success in producing highly qualified students and increasing the pool of minorities participating in the nation's biomedical research enterprise.

Tougaloo's silver anniversary conference celebrated the achievements of the program and its graduates with workshops, exhibits, networking opportunities, and special lectures and presentations by noted leaders in the fields of health and biomedical research.

The theme of the conference was "Forging Alliances to Increase the Number of Minority Biomedical Research Scientists." Participants engaged in critical discussions and were given the opportunity to speak to leaders in the research field from both academia and national funding sources, including NIH.

The return of several distinguished MARC graduates who are now scientists and practicing physicians, plus a surprise visit from U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher, added to the celebratory atmosphere surrounding the 2 days of events commemorating the anniversary.

Speakers at the conference included Dr. Adolphus Toliver, MARC program director at NIGMS, and Dr. John Ruffin, director of the NIH National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities.

"Tougaloo is to be commended for its many accomplishments," Toliver said. "NIGMS invests in the future of minority participation in the biomedical sciences, and Tougaloo has proven to be a wise investment."

For more information about the MARC program at Tougaloo College, contact Dr. Bharati Mehrotra at 601-977-7779, bmehrotra@aol.com . General information about the MARC program can be found on the MORE Division Web site.