CWRU Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program

About This Grant

PROJECT SUMMARY The current biomedical research workforce does not reflect current US demographics. The National Institutes of Health has established a variety of supportive mechanisms to encourage broad participation in the biomedical workforce. One important NIH initiative is the Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program or PREP. The overall goal of PREP is to develop recent baccalaureate science graduates so that they have the necessary knowledge and skills to pursue PhD or MD/PhD degrees in these fields. Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) was awarded PREP funding beginning in 2007. The program, known as CasePREP, has been notably successful, matriculating 82 Scholars into PhD or MD/PhD programs across the nation. The majority (85%) of these Scholars have completed their graduate degrees or are actively training, evidence of CasePREP’s effectiveness and experience in preparing Scholars for careers in science. This new proposal seeks to re-start this program by funding six CasePREP Scholars each year for five years. The key components of a resumed CasePREP will involve individually tailored graduate coursework, professional credentials enhancement, well- crafted experiential skill development, immersion in the PhD student experience, and extensive exposure to biomedical research. CasePREP Scholars will complete a one-year apprenticeship in CWRU School of Medicine faculty laboratories and computational research groups located throughout many of the CWRU 14 PhD-granting programs. Proposed PREP mentor laboratories and computational research groups are well funded, dynamic, and led by trained mentors with substantial experience with trainees from a variety of backgrounds in science. In addition, CasePREP Scholars will complete graduate level coursework, professional skills development, and other enrichment activities. These core developmental experiences are designed to further strengthen a student’s scholarly potential and improve their research skills, ultimately leading to their matriculation into and completion of rigorous biomedical doctoral degree programs across the nation. Important outcome assessments will show improved graduate school application credentials, enhanced research and presentation skills, improved attitudes about research careers, and greater than 75% success rates in PREP Scholar matriculation into PhD programs and completion of the PhD degree, respectively. Scholars will also have improved knowledge of the tools and resources needed to achieve and maintain resiliency as a scientist. A main overall outcome for CasePREP is broadening representation in the biomedical PhD programs at CWRU and across the nation.