Project Summary. In its most recent report, the NCSES Survey of Earned Doctorates revealed a significant educational disparity in the United States of America (USA), with only 8% and 9% of doctorate recipients in 2022 being African Americans and 9.0 Hispanic/Latinos, respectively. This educational inequality explains the low representation of scientists from underrepresented groups in the biomedical scientific workforce in academic, private, and governmental institutions. There is an urgent need to bridge this educational gap to have a diverse biomedical workforce that will stimulate innovation and creativity, advance biomedical research, and address health disparities. Loma Linda University (LLU) has had over two decades of successful partnerships with NIGMS in addressing this critical national challenge. Since 2001, the LLU Initiative for Maximizing Student Development Program (IMSD) R25 program has successfully trained and graduated a large cohort of underrepresented and disadvantaged Ph.D. students. These IMSD Trainees have been successfully transitioning into the biomedical workforce, becoming experts and leaders in their respective fields. The present application proposes a plan to implement the new Initiative for Maximizing Student Development T32 program at Loma Linda University (IMSD at LLU). This T32 program aims to increase diversity among the students graduating with a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from LLU by benefiting from our robust pipeline programs that attract promising Ph.D. students from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds. The new program will also leverage our over two decades of experience training doctoral students from diverse/disadvantaged backgrounds and propose to train 25 new Ph.D. IMSD Trainees during the next five years. The IMSD Trainees will be PhD students in the LLU School of Medicine (LLUSM) Integrated Biomedical Graduate Studies (IBGS) program. The Specific Aims are as follows: Aim 1 is to increase diversity among the students who graduate with a Ph.D. in the IBGS program. The NIGMS will fund the trainees during the first three years of graduate school. A combination of institutional research assistantships, PI support, and additional extramural fellowships will fully support each trainee after the third year to ensure their successful completion of the doctoral degree. Aim 2 is to enhance the competence of Ph.D. students to complete their degrees and facilitate a successful transition to a postgraduate biomedical position. IMSD Trainees will participate in a Personalized Training Program (PTP) to acquire additional skills and career development starting the summer before the first year of graduate school and lasting during their tenure in the Ph.D. program. Aim 3 is to enhance the PhD offerings of the IBGS program. The IMSD at LLU T32 program will actively promote the participation of all graduate students in the PTP and increase their literacy in health disparities and diversity. The program's outcomes and proposed enhanced curriculum and training plan will increase the number of students from diverse backgrounds completing doctoral degrees and significantly expand the number of these students entering the biomedical workforce.

Narrative. The Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (ISMD) at Loma Linda University T32 Program will promote the development of a diverse biomedical workforce through robust research training of students from diverse backgrounds and a personalized training plan that includes a curriculum focused on acquiring essential skills and career development. This plan will enhance the success of our diverse cadre of IMSD trainees in completing the Ph.D. degree in a timely manner and transitioning to postgraduate positions.