G-RISE at Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU G-RISE): The overall goals of the PHSU G-RISE program are to increase the competitiveness of underrepresented Hispanic students graduating from the Biomedical Sciences PhD Program at PHSU in Puerto Rico and to increase the number of highly qualified underrepresented students who advance to postdoctoral positions and diverse research-related careers. To achieve these goals, we will build upon the very successful training program created under the previous R25-RISE funding mechanism which had a positive impact on the training of our PhD students and on the entire PHSU community. Under the prior R25-RISE Program the PhD completion rate increased from 73% to 90% of R25-RISE trainees, the average time to graduation decreased from 6.2 to 5.6 years, and 64% of R25-RISE trainees continued with postdoctoral training after graduating. Of the 56 R25-RISE trainees supported 21 obtained independent fellowships, 31 already graduated with a PhD and 8 have secured faculty positions. The proposed PHSU G-RISE application will build upon those successes and adapt to several important lessons learned. It will provide the organizational structure and extensive mentoring necessary to ensure trainees have a sense of belonging and scientific identity while empowering them to prepare for and overcome obstacles in their scientific careers. The program proposes to accomplish these goals through enhancement of the academic, research, personal, and professional competence of our underrepresented minority students to better prepare them for diverse careers in the biomedical sciences. The specific measurable objectives of the PHSU G-RISE program are to provide: (1) professional, operational, and technical research skills training for PHSU G-RISE trainees; (2) communication skills training for PHSU G-RISE trainees; (3) team building/networking opportunities for PHSU G-RISE trainees; and (4) increase the PhD completion rate while reducing time-to-degree. Each of these objectives will be pursued with an experience-based balance of continuing activities that were highly effective as well as a strategic set of new training components that were developed to address the emerging needs of our trainees. The PHSU G-RISE program will work in concert with the existing PHSU-Moffitt Cancer Center Partnership and RCMI programs to significantly impact the overall research program by providing a better trained student workforce to conduct the funded research projects and provide the momentum to create new research initiatives.

The enhanced training provided by the G-RISE at Ponce Health Sciences University will increase the number of Hispanic Americans doing biomedical research and encourage the growth of biomedical research in Puerto Rico. By contributing to a more culturally diverse research workforce, the program will foster biomedical research of minority health disparities.