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 diversity initiatives in biomedical fields and establish a community of URM scholars at Texas A&M.

Mission

The overall mission of the TAMU IMSD program is to maximize student diversity in biomedical sciences at Texas A&M by focusing on the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority (URM) populations of trainees seeking a Ph.D. degree who have the skills to successfully transition into careers in the biomedical research workforce.

Goal

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

Objectives

Institutionalize successful recruitment and retention efforts for URM doctoral candidates in biomedical disciplines at Texas A&M University.
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.
Create a vibrant and supportive community of URM 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 URM biomedical graduates.
Provide URM biomedical trainees with the knowledge, professional skills and practical experiences required to identify and transition into careers in the biomedical research workforce.
Link and leverage other Texas A&M graduate programs to enhance diversity in graduate education, especially those involving former students, for synergy and to disseminate findings.

We are pleased to receive support from the NIH for this new initiative to develop a diverse and supportive training environment for graduate students in biomedical fields at Texas A&M. This funding will support student success for graduate researchers and scholars and amplify our efforts to help them forge successful careers after graduation.

Karen Butler-Purry, Ph.D.

Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School, and Principal Investigator for IMSD at TAMU.

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

Medical Sciences
Biomedical Sciences
Genetics
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 diversity initiatives in biomedical fields and establish a community of URM scholars at Texas A&M.

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

Program Activities

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 of underrepresented backgrounds 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.

Biomedical Data Science Online Training Program

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 engagement of participants through quizzes and exercises focused on developing computation competencies.

Target participants are PhD 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.

TAMIDS-Training

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.