NeuroGRAD@UPR- Neuroscience Graduate, Resilience, Affirmation and Diversity Program at the University of Puerto Rico
Project Number5R25NS127776-03
Contact PI/Project LeaderMALDONADO-VLAAR, CARMEN SARA
Awardee OrganizationUNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO RIO PIEDRAS
Description
Abstract Text
Summary
The Neuroscience Graduate, Resilience, Affirmation and Diversity Program at the University of Puerto Rico
(NeuroGRAD@UPR) has the mission to successfully impact, educate, train, and develop a new cadre of
promising underrepresented minority (URM) neuroscience graduate students within our premier Hispanic
Serving Institution (HSI) in collaboration with top-notch neuroscience research institutions. It is important to
clearly state that the NeuroGRAD program’s aspiration is to broaden, improve and facilitate the research
experience/project of its scholars. The NeuroGRAD program will provide the students with resources to be able
to expand his/her research project, be it by additional training in techniques, access to specialized equipment
and other possible challenges that the student might face during his/her doctoral career. After completing the
two years as NeuroGRAD scholars, students will still be eligible to participate in program enrichment activities,
short courses, or brief internships in their collaborator’s laboratories. The NeuroGRAD program will offer an
outstanding opportunity to grow the pipeline of trainees from diverse backgrounds who will succeed in PhD
programs in the Neurosciences. Six doctoral programs in two different campuses of the UPR (Rio Piedras and
Medical School) will be impacted by the proposed research plan. To prepare scholars for the rigors of conducting
neuroscience research, and to ensure successful futures as neuroscientists, during the academic year, each
NeuroGRAD scholar will work under the close supervision of a mentoring team. At least once during the two-
year training, NeuroGRAD scholars will visit a collaborator’s lab to learn a technique and enhance research and
networking skills within our partner institutions. All research mentors are established neuroscientists with
extensive experience in training students at the graduate, and postgraduate level. NeuroGRAD scholars will be
exposed to a broad spectrum of research topics, including basic neuroscience focused on the central nervous
system, and the more translational/applied neuroscience areas. NeuroGRAD scholars will meet bi- monthly with
the PDs and participate in several professional development seminars. During these seminars, scholars will
receive training designed to increase their research competence in scholarly work, public speaking,
grantsmanship, leadership skills and scientific rigor. Depending on the needs of a particular scholars’ cohort, we
will develop specialized workshops. NeuroGRAD program will also support scholars travel for presentations at
annual conferences. Scholars are expected to learn and contribute to the most current research in their field and
have opportunities to network with established scientists. The overreaching goal of the NeuroGRAD program
will be to take advantage on its strategic strengths and foster the necessary competencies to increase the
numbers of URM students in successful and independent career paths. The present proposal is founded on
strategies that significantly promote transformative mentoring, solid experimental rigor, impactful networking
experiences linked to best practices in career leadership growth and identity building.
Public Health Relevance Statement
Narrative
The NeuroGRAD program will be the first Neuroscience graduate training program of its kind at the University of
Puerto Rico, a premier research-intensive Hispanic Serving Institution in the USA. The main goal of
NeuroGRAD program is to successfully impact, educate, train, and develop the new generation of promising
underrepresented minority (URM) neuroscience graduate students using evidence-based successful strategies
founded on three key strands: (1) the development of impactful neuroscience training blueprint based on cutting-
edge and hands-on research experiences (2) the establishment of an effective multilayered mentoring network
through strong partnerships with top-notch neuroscience researchers in Research 1(R1) institutions in the
mainland and (3) the design of a series of transformative skill set activities that will yield a new cohort of URM
neuroscientists role models and leaders in the 21st Century Neuroscience workforce.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
CFDA Code
853
DUNS Number
143960193
UEI
Q3LLLDFHPNL3
Project Start Date
01-September-2022
Project End Date
30-June-2027
Budget Start Date
01-July-2024
Budget End Date
30-June-2025
Project Funding Information for 2024
Total Funding
$256,240
Direct Costs
$250,000
Indirect Costs
$6,240
Year
Funding IC
FY Total Cost by IC
2024
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
$256,240
Year
Funding IC
FY Total Cost by IC
Sub Projects
No Sub Projects information available for 5R25NS127776-03
Publications
Publications are associated with projects, but cannot be identified with any particular year of the project or fiscal year of funding. This is due to the continuous and cumulative nature of knowledge generation across the life of a project and the sometimes long and variable publishing timeline. Similarly, for multi-component projects, publications are associated with the parent core project and not with individual sub-projects.
No Publications available for 5R25NS127776-03
Patents
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Outcomes
The Project Outcomes shown here are displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Institutes of Health. NIH has not endorsed the content below.
No Outcomes available for 5R25NS127776-03
Clinical Studies
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News and More
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History
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Similar Projects
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