The proposed plan to Enhance Cross-disciplinary Infrastructure Training at Oregon (EXITO) model takes advantage of a significant number of institutional initiatives and investments to address transferability, student success, and faculty engagement. EXITO will capitalize on the strategic partnership between Portland State University and Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) to enhance ongoing undergraduate training programs that engage traditionally underrepresented students and institutions that have been unable to take part in NIH training programs. EXITO will have access to more than 20,000 underrepresented students in Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii and the rest of the US Pacific Islands, the EXITO collaborative The Student Training Core has several components: Embedding experiental research opportunities into several ongoing curricular options for the students such as the freshman inquiry course, a year-long course, developing a sophomore gateway course that provides a research methods foundation; identifying a series of junior courses or seminar series, and engaging students into a capstones or research project during their senior year. EXITO students will develop a e-Portfolio to document progress through their college trajectory. Student will belong to a research learning community where they will take part in research activities, seminar, grants writing, poster presentations, and publications. These communities are being lead by established investigators with NIH or NIH-type federal funding that can provide a research environment and a sense of belonging to EXITO scholars. EXITO scholars will take part in paid research opportunities during the summer and the academic year with their research mentors. Part of their training include in career-building workshops and seminars that will prepare students to be successful in applying for graduate schools and be productive in writing publishable papers, use of the library, financial aid, careers in biomedical research, and other topics of relevance to advancing their careers.

Innovation in biomedical sciences requires collaboration among individuals with diverse perspectives. This proposal aims to transform interinstitutional collaboration to enhance opportunities to more than 20,000 Latino, Black, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students currently in biomedical programs in 10 institions. Also, we will recruit students with disability, and foster-care youth to join training activities. The initiative will address transferability, student success, and faculty engagement.