NIH IMSD
IMSD T32 at Texas A&M University
The Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity in Biomedical Sciences aims to enhance recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority (URM) students who have the skills to transition successfully into biomedical research careers.
Maximizing Diversity in Biomedical Sciences
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.

Recruiting, Retaining and Training a Diverse Biomedical Research Workforce
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.
Karen Butler-Purry
Graduate and Professional School Dean
Principal Investigator


Candice Brinkmeyer-Langford
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences
Weihsueh A. Chiu
Professor
Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences
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Roland Kaunas
Associate Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Ivan Rusyn
Professor
Toxicology Interdisciplinary Graduate Program and
Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences

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Dorothy Shippen
University Distinguished Professor
Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Genetics
David Threadgill
University Distinguished Professor
Genetics Interdisciplinary Graduate Program and Departments of Molecular & Cellular Medicine and Biochemistry & Biophysics

Advisory Boards
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.

Robert Burghardt, Ph.D.
Assoc. Dean for Research and Graduate Studies,
College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM)
Roderic Pettigrew, Ph.D., M.D.
Chief Executive Officer of Engineering Health
Executive Dean for Engineering Medicine


Kenneth Ramos
Executive Director, Texas A&M Institute of Biosciences and Technology
Professor of Medicine, Texas A&M College of Medicine Associate
Vice President for Research, Texas A&M University Health Science Center
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Health Services, The Texas A&M University System
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.
David Eaton, Ph.D.
Dean of the Graduate School
Dean of the Graduate School
Vice Provost Emeritus and Professor Emeritus
Environmental & Occupation Health Sciences,
University of Washington
Seattle, WA


Cato Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D.
University Professor
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT
Kristi Pullen Fedinick, Ph.D.
Director, Science and Data
Healthy People & Thriving Communities Program
Natural Resources Defense Council
Washington, DC


Carlos Rodriguez-Garcia
Director, Operations Support, AstraZeneca Coppell, TX
President, BioMed Pharma Consulting
Plano, TX 75024
Trainees
Current Trainees
COHORT 1 (Fall 2020)
Sophia (Frankie) Antillon
Biochemistry and Biophysics
Undergraduate Institution: University of La Verne
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Pedro Monagas-Valentin
Biochemistry and Biophysics
Undergraduate Institution: University of Puerto Rico
Richard Urbanowski
Biomedical Engineering
Undergraduate Institution: Tulane University


Valentina Garcia
Biomedical Engineering
Undergraduate Institution: University of Florida
Gladys Pedraza
Biomedical Sciences
Undergraduate Institution: Texas A&M University


Molly McClung
Biomedical Sciences
Undergraduate Institution: Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Osiris Lopez-Garcia
Genetics
Undergraduate Institution: University of Puerto Rico


Eduardo Martinez
Genetics
Undergraduate Institution: UT-Rio Grande Valley
Daniela Ayala
Medical Sciences
Undergraduate Institution: San Diego State University


Aja Coleman
Medical Sciences
Undergraduate Institution: Trinity University
Kelly Rivenbark
Toxicology
Undergraduate Institution: King University


Haley Moyer
Toxicology
Undergraduate Institution: Lock Haven University
Contact
If you have further questions about the IMSD, email grad-imsd-t32@tamu.edu.