Research Projects

Woodcock, A. (DPI), Hernandez, P. R. (MPI), Schultz, P. W. (MPI). Research Experience and Mentorship as Critical Interventions to Advance Diversity in Biomedical Science (#1745929), funded by the National Institutes of Health (2023-2028)

Diversifying the biomedical workforce is imperative to meet the healthcare needs of the U.S. population. It is a long journey from being an undergraduate science major to becoming a scientific researcher, often more so for students from underrepresented groups. Some students persist, yet the majority leave the scientific research career path, either never making it to graduate school or failing to make the transition to becoming an independent scientist. We will build on our established longitudinal research to test the long-term effectiveness of two widely utilized interventions: undergraduate research experience (URE) and faculty mentorship. Between 2005-2017, our research team conducted an NIH-funded longitudinal study to test the effectiveness of formal interventions in retaining students from underrepresented groups in biomedical research (TheScienceStudy; R01GM075316). The results served to highlight the effectiveness of some interventions and the challenges associated with others. We have 12 years of data on 1,243 Black and Hispanic former science students. They are now completing their training (78% received a B.S., 32% an M.S., and 19% a Doctoral degree), and we have semester-by- semester data on URE and faculty mentorship duration, intensity, quality, and satisfaction. Propensity scores will provide a balanced comparison group against which to test the effectiveness of these interventions, with follow-up analyses focused on dosage effects. Using the Balanced Identity Design theoretical framework, we will collect five years of prospective data to answer critical questions. Specifically, we will quantify the long-term impact of UREs on biomedical career hallmarks of success (e.g., workforce entry, advancement, scholarly productivity), life satisfaction, and well-being. Also, what aspects of the undergraduate research experience (i.e., exposure, dosage, quality) have impacted the effectiveness of training the next generation of biomedical researchers? Finally, we will assess the long-term impact of undergraduate mentorship networks (e.g., quality of support, network diversity) on future biomedical career hallmarks of success, life satisfaction, and well-being specifically, which facets of mentorship networks (i.e., presence, quantity, quality) have had the most significant impact. Finally, we will assess the mediating role of science and science identity balance on the effectiveness of UREs and mentorship on the success of Black and Hispanic early and mid-career biomedical scientists. The proposed research has direct implications for training programs and interventions. Our specific aims test the direct impact of two widely implemented interventions – research experience and mentorship – as well as the boundary conditions surrounding these interventions on early and mid-career persistence and success among underrepresented science students.

Hernandez, P. R. (PI). Collaborative Research: PROmoting Geoscience Research Education and SuccesS (PROGRESS) (#2013333), funded by the National Science Foundation (2020-2025).

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving undergraduate geosciences education. It will do so by scaling up a successful mentoring program in the geosciences. Many of the most urgent challenges facing society are rooted in the geosciences, including issues related to energy, air quality, climate, water availability, food security, and natural disasters. Women, particularly those from minority racial and ethnic groups, continue to be largely underrepresented in the geosciences. As a result, the talent pool available to solve these challenges is limited. Female role models and mentors can play an important role in the lives of female students, especially when choosing and committing to a career path. This project aims to increase diversity in the geoscience workforce by scaling-up a mentoring program called PROGRESS (PROmoting Geoscience Research Education and SuccesS). PROGRESS provides professional development workshops, access to female mentors and role models, peer networks, and online discussions and resources.

Estrada, M. (PI), DeerInWater, K. (Co-I), & Hernandez, P.R. (Co-I). Scaling Up Culturally Affirming Pathways to Biomedical Faculty Careers for Native Scholars (R01GM138700), funded by the National Institutes of Health (2020-2025).

Why don’t Native scholars with high interest in biomedical careers integrate into their STEM professional communities at rates equal to majority populations? This research proposes to build on research regarding the Tripartite Integration Model of Social Influence (TIMSI) (Kelman,1958, 2006; Estrada et al., 2011), Native American culture, and integrative identity, to conduct a prospective propensity score matched longitudinal study to compare the short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes of three groups of emerging Native biomedical scholars (N=162).

Schultz, P. W. (PI), Woodcock, A. (Co-PI), & Hernandez, P.R. (Senior Personnel). Balancing Identities to Broaden Participation in STEM (#1920786), funded by the National Science Foundation (2019-2024).

The project team is exploring a framework that considers both implicitly and explicitly held identities for understanding how students achieve and maintain a strong STEM identity across time, and what experiences facilitate or hinder this process. The researchers hypothesize that the strength and nature of the balance between implicitly held associations and identities influence student’s explicitly held STEM identity, and that these processes are qualitatively different due to prevailing stereotypes for White and Hispanic undergraduate students, enrolled in Engineering and Biological Sciences degree programs. The current investigation is also examining the identity trajectories of White and Hispanic undergraduate students as they make critical career and academic decisions.

Broderick, N. (MPI), Estrada, M. (PD/PI), Handelsman, J. E. (MPI), & Hernandez, P. R. (MPI). Studying Inclusive Mentor Networks to Diversify the Biomedical Workforce (1 U01 GM132174-01), funded by the National Institutes of Health (2019-2024).

Having grown rapidly since 2012, SWI now includes 151 undergraduate institutions in the US, with 29 HSIs, 5 HBCUs, and 2 TCUs. In this context, the first aim of the proposed study is to experimentally test the hypothesis that among HU and HO faculty participants the SII will result in higher quality mentorship from the assigned peer mentor and short and long-term growth in mentor networks, mentorship activities, improvements in scholarly productivity, and joy in work. The second aim is to test the hypothesis that the SII with undergraduate HU and HO students, implemented by faculty in their classrooms (cluster randomly assigned), will result in a higher degree of identification with and support from their faculty mentor, the development of stronger mentor networks, as well as growth in interest and retention in biomedical fields. The third aim is to test the hypothesis that indices of integration into the scientific community will mediate the relationship between the quality of mentorship and inclusion and short- and longer-term outcomes for both faculty and student participants.