DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The MBRS RISE Program at the UPR MSC, currently in its eleventh year of support, requests support to continue to expand the overall impact and value of the program. The goal of the UPR MSC RISE program is to increase the number and skills of members of underrepresented groups engaged in biomedical and behavioral research, focusing on the development of its Ph.D. student participants, so they can better compete as future biomedical researchers. The MBRS RISE Program at the UPR MSC, currently in its eleventh year of support, requests support to continue to expand the overall impact and value of the program. In the present application, we would like to address student needs that may be affecting time to degree, retention and achievement of career goals, such as transitioning to postdoctoral positions. We propose two Activities: Developmental Activity #1 - Student Participation in Biomedical Research and Activity #2. Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Seminar Series (IBRSS). Innovative activities are included, such as advanced biomedical/behavioral topics courses, English language and teaching skills courses and editorial and statistics support. Two goals center this proposed Research Education Plan: Goal 1- Increase the competitiveness of the MSC biomedical doctoral students. Goal 2: To enhance the development of a productive research environment at the UPR-MSC by the establishment of a dynamic Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Seminar Series (IBRSS) and a series of advanced courses. In addition to the activities designed to address the specific objectives we have established to achieve the above stated goals, participating Ph.D. students will attend seminars and/or workshops in Responsible Conduct in Research during their predoctoral training at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus. The Associate Deanship for Biomedical Sciences developed the Responsible Conduct in Research Compliance Program (RC2P) to expose, educate and train our students in scientific research integrity. The RISE Program will ensure that any material developed under the auspices of its research education program be disseminated broadly, on campus or on the internet.

The Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) Program was created in response to a legislative mandate to "increase the numbers of underrepresented minority (URM) faculty, investigators and students engaged in biomedical and behavioral research, and to broaden the opportunities for underrepresented minority faculty and students for participation in biomedical and behavioral research." The MBRS RISE Program at the UPR MSC, currently in its eleventh year of support, requests support to continue to expand the overall impact and value of the program. Its overall goal is to increase the number of under- represented minorities engaged in biomedical and behavioral research, focusing on the development of its URM graduate (G) Ph.D. student participants, so they can better compete as future biomedical researchers. We propose two Activities: Developmental Activity #1 - Student Participation in Biomedical Research and Activity #2. Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Seminar Series (IBRSS). Innovative activities are included, such as advanced biomedical/behavioral topics courses, English language and teaching skills courses and editorial and statistics support.