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Program Directors Meeting a Success
BY SUSAN ATHEY, NIGMS

The theme of the meeting, "Striving for Academic Excellence," reflected the participants' commitment to increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in biomedical research careers. Participants attended presentations on student learning, innovative teaching, and program evaluation. The meeting also featured discussions of careers in biomedical science and grants management workshops.

Throughout the meeting, program directors had the opportunity to meet with MORE staff as well as with NIGMS grants management team members. Special program-specific breakout sessions enabled participants to discuss successful strategies with one another and with NIGMS staff.

Dr. Adolphus Toliver, director of the MARC program at NIGMS, credited the success of the meeting to the "commitment and enthusiastic participation of the program directors and the MORE and grants management professional staffs."

"The interpersonal interactions among attendees gave them the opportunity to share best practices for their programs. This was a highlight of the meeting," added Dr. Ernest Márquez, MBRS program director at NIGMS.

Dr. Dorothy Cowser Yancy, president of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC, attended the meeting and said she found it "interesting and extremely informative."

"I left energized and ready to work even harder to get more students to major in the sciences," she said.

The next meeting of MARC and MBRS program directors is planned for June 14-18, 2003 in Lake Tahoe, NV. Be sure to mark your calendars!