Abstract: This proposal seeks to develop a “Diabetes Institute Summer Interprofessional Research Experience (DISIRE)” program to train undergraduate students. The vision for the DISIRE education program is to increase the number of underrepresented minority and Appalachian undergraduates who enter graduate programs in the biological sciences, health sciences or related fields. The Diabetes Institute at Ohio University will recruit a diverse group of 10 participants each year with a focus on minority students, first-generation Appalachian students, and persons with disabilities with little to no exposure to biological and health sciences graduate programs. DISIRE participants will train with experienced diabetes researchers in the 10-week summer program. Recruitment will target upperclassmen from minority serving institutions, small liberal arts colleges, and Appalachian universities without graduate programs or extensive education in diabetes. The DISIRE curriculum will be interdisciplinary-focused consisting of online instruction, weekly seminars, journal club didactics, a group capstone project, and research with a mentor. The online course will be an abridged version of “Diabetes: From Bench-to-Bedside”, an existing, comprehensive course that explores the genetics, physiology, treatment, self-management, and psychosocial care of diabetes. An innovative component of the DISIRE program is the group capstone project, a learning-pathway experience designed to encourage participants to think critically, develop problem-solving skills, encourage goal setting, and promote teamwork. The capstone project will address an important issue or problem about diabetes on their college or university campuses. Thus, the capstone project will not only benefit the participants’ communities, but also serves to foster a life-long community engagement of participants, as they will be able to directly observe the benefit of the implementation of scientific knowledge. The apprentice-based research experience, which will develop research skills and build self-efficacy in the participants, is a critical component of the DISIRE program. Each participant will design a research project with their selected mentor and be involved in all aspects of conducting research from hypothesis generation to dissemination of findings. The final research projects will be presented at a research symposium in conjunction with the other summer undergraduate programs and graduate programs at Ohio University. Project mentors will maintain a long-term mentoring relationship with participants and provide guidance and encouragement to the participants during the application process to graduate school.

Project Narrative: Health disparities in diabetes and its complications are well-documented among racial and ethnic minorities and people from rural Appalachia. Considering the high rates of diabetes in disadvantaged populations and the changing demographics of our country, higher education must promote diversity and inclusion at the graduate student and faculty ranks. The DISIRE program is dedicated to recruiting talented undergraduates from minority serving institutions, small liberal arts colleges, and Appalachian universities to prepare the next generation of basic and clinical researchers in diabetes.