Modified Project Summary/Abstract Section We are unyielding in our support of the principles driving the NIH FIRST program in proposing NURTURE: Northwestern University Recruitment to Transform Under-Representation and achieve Equity. NURTURE will employ a faculty cohort model, innovations in faculty support, and mechanisms to drive institutional transformation to substantively add to our University’s own initiatives to build a sustainable culture of faculty diversity and inclusive excellence. Centered within Northwestern University’s world class research environment, NURTURE aims to disrupt systemic barriers that impede full participation of biomedical research scientists from underrepresented groups (URG) by investing in inclusive cultural change within our institution. We acknowledge that systemic racism has persisted in biomedical science, including at Northwestern. We are committed to dismantling the structures that have allowed racism and bias to persist and impeded the scientific careers of too many URG scholars. NURTURE proposes to transform siloed fiefdom structures to transdisciplinary Scientific Neighborhoods that will foster growth and accomplishment in the research, career, and personal trajectories of URG faculty. NURTURE is supported by an Administrative Core, a Faculty Development Core, and an Evaluation Core that will work synergistically, and with NIH and the FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center (CEC), to achieve program goals. NURTURE will drive success through several innovations. Our diverse MPI and senior leadership team has a longstanding commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, community building, and faculty career development. They will leverage strong institutional support to implement systemic innovations toward a more inclusive and sustained culture of excellence (Aim 1). NURTURE is centered on a spectrum of research from cells to community in each of three cross-departmental Scientific Neighborhoods aligned with NIH mission areas: cancer, cardiovascular, and brain, mind and behavior. Scientific Neighborhoods will welcome 15 new URG faculty (the NURTURE Cohort) (Aim 2), in a culture of scientific excellence and inclusion. Runways to these new faculty positions will be built from a foundation of long-standing training programs, well-established local relationships, and a new initiative on postdoctoral training. Aim 3 establishes evidence-informed innovative advancement programs that include professional coaching, a team of safe space ambassadors, and comprehensive mentoring and sponsorship for NURTURE Cohort members to empower self-efficacy and combat isolation throughout their Northwestern onboarding and promotion journey. Aim 4 is driven by an expert evaluation team that will employ state-of-the-art approaches to guide real-time improvement toward success. Finally, a robust Institutional Transformation and Accountability Committee will bolster institutional connectivity and accelerate scaled implementation of NURTURE findings by Northwestern University leaders to sustainably transform our institutional culture toward inclusive excellence.

PROJECT NARRATIVE The Northwestern University Recruitment to Transform Under-Representation and achieve Equity (NURTURE) Program will employ a faculty cohort model to enhance the diversity of tenure-track biomedical research faculty at Northwestern (NU) and enhance an institutional culture of inclusive excellence. There is substantial institutional support allowing 15 tenure-track faculty to be hired, as an addition to complementary institutional initiatives. NURTURE introduces several innovations aimed at ensuring the success of the individuals that will be hired, contributing along with other non-overlapping efforts to transforming the culture of the institution to recognize, promote, and celebrate the scientific, social, and cultural benefits of inclusive excellence.