Minority Access to Research Careers Branch
MARC supports special research training opportunities
for students and faculty at 4-year, minority-serving institutions.
The goal is to strengthen the training programs at these schools
so they can prepare students for doctoral programs and careers in
biomedical research.
MARC accomplishes these goals through Undergraduate
Student Training in Academic Research (U* STAR) institutional grants,
predoctoral fellowships, faculty fellowships, a visiting scientist
program, and other training activities.
Currently, MARC supports nearly 650 undergraduates
at over 60 institutions, 45 MARC predoctoral fellows, more than
70 predoctoral fellows in an NIH-wide program, and 2 faculty fellows.
Special Initiatives
MORE supports several special initiatives that
strive to develop new approaches for the recruitment and retention
of minority biomedical scientists. One such activity is the Bridges
to the Future Program, which is co-sponsored by NIGMS and the NIH
National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities. This
program assists students in associate's or master's degree programs
to make the transition to the next level of training (the bachelor's
or Ph. D. degree). The Bridges Program currently supports over 1,000
students at more than 400 institutions.
The division also supports the MORE Faculty Development
Award. This award enables faculty members at minority-serving institutions
to update or enhance their research skills by working full-time
for several months each year in a laboratory at a research-intensive
university.
Another program, called the Institutional Research
and Academic Career Development Award, provides postdoctoral researchers
from research-intensive universities the opportunity to teach at
minority-serving institutions. The goal is to motivate the next
generation of minority scientists and to promote partnerships between
research universities and minority-serving institutions.
NIGMS also collaborates with the Indian Health
Service to link the Native American community with organizations
that conduct health research. The program, called Native American
Research Centers for Health (NARCH), encourages research on diseases
relevant to American Indians and Alaska Natives, and seeks to develop
a cadre of Native American scientists and health professionals who
are able to compete successfully for NIH funding.
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