PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The primary objective of the Rochester Partnership to Advance Research and Academic Careers of Deaf (RPP-DEAF) Scholars is to rigorously train and support the career advancement of deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) post-doctoral Scholars for independent academic careers that support the biomedical research enterprise. This is an important unmet national need, because the D/HH community is greatly underrepresented in the biomedical sciences academic workforce. In order to address this disparity, we have partnered the faculty and programs of the University of Rochester (UR) with those of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and its National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). To achieve our program goals, we will pursue four Specific Aims; 1) To provide outstanding program leadership that “mentors the mentors”, builds community for D/HH Scholars, and successfully coordinates program recruitment. This goal will be achieved through (A) special training specific to this IRACDA program (including training in Deaf-aware mentoring practices and Deaf culture), (B) training in mentoring diverse learners and (C) advanced mentoring training (for research mentors) or leadership mentoring training (for program leaders).; 2) To provide individualized, mentored teaching experiences and career development activities for all Scholars. Teaching experiences will be provided principally at RIT/NTID, the teaching-intensive partner institution.; 3) To provide individualized, mentored research experiences for all Scholars. Research experiences will be provided principally at UR, the research-intensive partner institution.; and 4) To rigorously, comprehensively and continuously evaluate the RPP-DEAF program. We will ensure that RPP-DEAF meets its goals by conducting comprehensive and ongoing program evaluation of: Scholar Achievement, Faculty Mentorship & Program Leadership; and Institutional Impact. We will recruit three new D/HH scholars per year, with a maximum of a three-year appointment, in order to maintain a steady state cohort of 9 D/HH Scholars. Overall, this unique IRACDA program will equip our Scholars with the comprehensive set of knowledge and skills in research, teaching and professionalism necessary for successful academic careers - with the goal that all of our Scholars will acheive full-time academic appointments in higher education and/or research institutions. This innovative inter- institutional partnership is the first of its kind in the world and will begin to address the dearth of D/HH faculty at academic institutions serving the nation's biomedical research needs. A long-term outcome will be the attraction of more D/HH Scholars into careers in the biomedical sciences, a field in which D/HH persons are greatly underrepresented.

PROJECT NARRATIVE Deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) persons are a linguistic and cultural minority group that is greatly underrepresented among biomedical scientists and academic faculty members. This program is a partnership between a research-intensive University (University of Rochester) and a teaching-intensive University (Rochester Institute of Technology) that is the 3rd largest producer of undergraduate STEM graduates among private universities in the U.S, and home to the world's first and largest technological college for the post- secondary education of D/HH persons (the National Technical Institute for the Deaf; NTID). This program will prepare D/HH postdoctoral Scholars for careers as academic faculty members, by developing and refining their skills in research, teaching and professionalism; by doing so, it will address the shortage of D/HH faculty in our academic workforce.