NIH IMSD

IMSD at TAMU is a T32 training program funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health that supports 12 new trainees per year. This program will serve as a hub for unifying training-oriented initiatives in biomedical fields and establish a community of scholars from populations underrepresented in biomedical sciences fields at Texas A&M.

Mission

The overall mission of the TAMU IMSD T32 program is to maximize student development in biomedical sciences at Texas A&M by focusing on the recruitment and retention of of a diverse pool of doctoral trainees seeking doctoral degrees who have the skills to successfully transition into careers in the biomedical research workforce.

Goal

The goal of the TAMU IMSD T32 is to prepare trainees to function as independent researchers and/or practitioners in a multidisciplinary setting by providing training in the classroom-, laboratory- and externship-based settings, building an inclusive and diverse community of scholars in biomedical sciences.

Objectives

1. Institutionalize successful recruitment and retention efforts for doctoral students from underrepresented populations in biomedical disciplines.
2. Augment-specific program-related doctoral training in critical thinking, scientific reasoning, rigorous research design, experimental methods, quantitative and computational approaches, and data analysis and interpretation with additional skills to independently acquire the knowledge needed to advance in their chosen biomedical fields.
3. Create a vibrant and supportive community of scholars to stimulate interest and enrollment in biomedical graduate programs at Texas A&M University, and create a model program that increases the number of competitive biomedical graduates.
4. Provide biomedical trainees with the knowledge, professional skills and practical experiences required to identify and transition into careers in the biomedical research workforce.
5. Link and leverage other Texas A&M graduate programs to enhance student development in graduate education, especially those involving former students, for synergy and to disseminate findings.

IMSD funding supports selected student trainees in one of the six major biomedical graduate training programs at Texas A&M University:

• Medical Sciences
• Biomedical Sciences
• Genetics and Genomics
• Toxicology
• Biochemistry & Biophysics
• Biomedical Engineering

The university is doubling the impact of the grant by matching the NIH support for six trainees to fund six additional trainees. The IMSD program serves as a hub for unifying training-oriented initiatives in biomedical fields and establishing a rich and supportive community of scholars at Texas A&M.

Recruitment efforts will focus on students from groups underrepresented in the field at a wide range of undergraduate institutions and fairs.

A list of underrepresented populations in the U.S. Biomedical, Clinical, Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Enterprise include the following:

1. Individuals from racial and ethnic groups that have been shown by the National Science Foundation to be underrepresented in health-related sciences on a national basis (see data at nsf.gov) and the report Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering). The following racial and ethnic groups have been shown to be underrepresented in biomedical research: Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.  In addition, it is recognized that underrepresentation can vary from setting to setting; individuals from racial or ethnic groups that can be demonstrated convincingly to be underrepresented by the grantee institution should be encouraged to participate in NIH programs to enhance diversity. For more information on racial and ethnic categories and definitions, see the OMB Revisions to the Standards for Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity.
2. Individuals with disabilities, who are defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, as described in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended.  See NSF data here.
3. Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, defined as those who meet two or more of the following criteria:
   1. Were or currently are homeless, as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act;
   2. Were or currently are in foster care system, as defined by the Administration for Children and Families; 
   3. Were eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program for two or more years;
   4. Have/had no parents or legal guardians who completed a bachelor’s degree (see detailed info here;
   5. Were or currently are eligible for Federal Pell grants;
   6. Received support from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) as a parent or child;
   7. Grew up in one of the following areas: a) a U.S. rural area, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer or b) a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-designated Low-Income and Health Professional Shortage Areas  (qualifying zip codes are included in the file). Only one of the two possibilities in #7 can be used as a criterion for the disadvantaged background definition.
4. Students from low socioeconomic (SES) status backgrounds have been shown to obtain bachelor’s and advanced degrees at significantly lower rates than students from middle and high SES groups, and are subsequently less likely to be represented in biomedical research. For background, see data at nces.ed.gov and Department of Education.
5. Literature shows that women from the above backgrounds (categories A, B, and C) face particular challenges at the graduate level and beyond in scientific fields. (See e.g., A Systems Approach to Increasing the Diversity of Biomedical Research Workforce).
6. Women have been shown to be underrepresented in doctorate-granting research institutions at senior faculty levels in most biomedical-relevant disciplines, and may also be underrepresented at other faculty levels in some scientific disciplines  (See data from the National Science Foundation National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering, special report available at nsf.gov, especially Table 9-23, describing science, engineering, and health doctorate holders employed in universities and 4-year colleges, by broad occupation, sex, years since doctorate, and faculty rank).

For more details, please visit grants.nih.gov

Once enrolled, students will enter a personalized program that combines instruction, research, mentoring and aspects of career development. 

Year One of the Doctoral Program

Support from this program is offered in the first year of the doctoral program, at the time when trainees undertake two laboratory rotations, follow structured core academic curricula of their respective graduate programs, and participate in regular joint activities as a group.

A distinctive feature of the IMSD program is a strongly encouraged hands-on summer externship through a broad and diverse network of academic laboratories, state and federal governmental agencies, as well as industry and non-governmental organizations, where they can gain professional training and establish career-building relationships.

Year Two and Beyond

Following the first year, support will shift to trainee’s graduate program, mentor, or other related programming. However, trainees will continue participation in program-related functions that enable them to maintain a strong bond to a community of scholars in addition to their home programs. Trainees affiliated with this program will be highly successful in academia, industry, government and other professional settings in health-related disciplines.

Activities and products students will have completed by the end of the program include:

• Annually-reviewed, comprehensive individual development plan (IDP) that verifies activity completion.
• Identified advisor, mentor, committee, and learning communities that meet regularly.
• Annually-reviewed CV that enumerates skills, products, and participation in non-academic (e.g., externship) and academic (e.g., conferences) events.
• Completed dissertation.
• Academic identity products and practical skills used for job search and early career positioning (such as social media presence).
• Multiple job applications and job interviews.
• Secured position after dissertation completion.
• Established a plan for early career success.

Timeline

The training timeline and 11 implementation activities for the TAMU IMSD model are detailed below.

The Texas A&M Institute of Data Science (TAMIDS) provides a series of online training programs on computation systems and statistical learning in Data Science in the biomedical domain. Sessions couple exposition of underlying principles with the engagement of participants through quizzes and exercises focused on developing computation competencies. 

Target participants are Ph.D. trainees in biomedical training programs at Texas A&M and beyond in the second or later years of their programs. 

For more information and program schedules, visit the program website.

Internal and external advisory boards provide oversight and support IMSD programming.

Internal Advisory Board

The Internal Advisory Board’s role is to ensure tight integration of this training program with the rest of Texas A&M University and with individual Colleges. To this effect, the Board includes representatives of the administration for participating Colleges.

External Advisory Board

The External Advisory Board’s roles are to (i) ensure the academic and research excellence of the training program, (ii) review the outcomes and learning objectives of the trainee externships, (iii) evaluate the dedication to the overall focus on diversity in biomedical training, (iv) confirm the program’s adherence to the IMSD Programmatic goals, and (v) inform the program’s leadership, mentors, and trainees of opportunities for research, training and career options in biomedical fields. To this effect, the Board includes representatives from academia and non-academic fields such as drug industry and Federal government, and non-governmental organizations.

COHORT 1 (Fall 2020)

COHORT 2 (Fall 2021)

COHORT 3 (Fall 2022)

COHORT 4