Training in Research Undergraduate Experience through the Rutgers Addiction Research Center: The TRUE RARC Scholar Program
Project Number1R25DA061485-01
Contact PI/Project LeaderDICK, DANIELLE M
Awardee OrganizationRUTGERS BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES
Description
Abstract Text
PROJECT SUMMARY
We propose to develop an undergraduate research program that promotes the advancement of students from
underrepresented (UR) groups in the field of addiction research: the Training in Research Undergraduate
Experience through the Rutgers Addiction Research Center, the “TRUE RARC” Scholar Program. The lack of
diversity among addiction scientists is associated with real opportunity costs, from hindered scientific
innovation to persistent disparities in outcomes of substance use treatment for diverse populations.
Undergraduate research programs are necessary to remedy underrepresentation, as they build a bridge to
advanced STEM degrees by helping students envision a future career in research, learn foundational research
skills, and build competencies and self-efficacy. Rutgers is an ideal environment in which to build an
undergraduate addiction research training program. As The State University of New Jersey, Rutgers enrolls
>45K undergraduates across three campuses, each of which ranks highly in diversity and social mobility for
low-income students. Further, Rutgers is home to the largest comprehensive addiction research center in the
United States, consisting of >150 researchers representing more than 40 departments and schools, that
closely coordinates with Rutgers Health, which provides substance use services across the state of New
Jersey. The specific aims of our proposal for the TRUE RARC Scholar Program are: (Aim 1) Develop an
innovative three course sequence (Data Science & Addiction Research 1 & 2, followed by a Capstone course)
to teach students about the foundations of addiction research and data science methods, culminating in a
digital badge representing measured competencies. Our course sequence will make use of the Adolescent
Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study data, introducing students to a hallmark NIH resource, while
teaching them about interdisciplinary addiction research, including genetics, neuroscience, and social/
environmental influences on substance use outcomes. (Aim 2) Upon completion of their foundational
coursework, engage 10 or more students from underrepresented backgrounds in six-month, mentored
research experiences in RARC faculty labs, culminating in a research presentation at the annual RARC
symposium. (Aim 3) Provide professional development opportunities for career readiness and graduate school
matriculation by collaborating with our robust network of academic, industry, state, and health care partners.
(4) Create a national resource for addiction research education by building a web repository to publicly
disseminate core aspects from our proposed program, and that of other RARC-affiliated and NIDA/NIAAA-
sponsored training programs, including coursework and professional development content. This will expand
the impact of our undergraduate training program beyond the Rutgers campuses. In summary, our program will
build an undergraduate pipeline into a range of graduate programs, and create associated resources for the
field, to significantly remedy underrepresentation among addiction scientists.
Public Health Relevance Statement
PROJECT NARRATIVE
The present lack of diversity among addiction researchers presents a range of opportunity costs, from hindered
scientific innovation to persistent disparities in treatment outcomes. The Training in Research Undergraduate
Experience through the Rutgers Addiction Research Center (TRUE RARC) Scholar Program serves to upskill
and diversify the next generation of addiction scientists at the undergraduate level via interdisciplinary
coursework, lab internships, and career readiness activities to promote a more diverse addiction research field.
NIH Spending Category
No NIH Spending Category available.
Project Terms
AdolescentAdvocacyBiotechnologyBrainCareer ChoiceClinicalCollaborationsCompetenceCourse ContentDataData ScienceDevelopmentDisparityEducation ProjectsEducational process of instructingEducational workshopEligibility DeterminationEnrollmentEnsureEnvironmentEventFacultyFoundationsFundingFutureGeneticGoalsHealthHealth ProfessionalHealthcareHomeIndustryInternshipsKnowledgeLeadershipLearningLow incomeManuscriptsMeasuresMentorsMethodsMinority-Serving InstitutionNational Institute of Drug AbuseNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and AlcoholismNeurosciencesNew BrunswickNew JerseyOutcomePopulationPopulation HeterogeneityProviderRecording of previous eventsRecoveryResearchResearch PersonnelResearch TrainingResourcesRewardsScholars ProgramSchoolsScienceScientistSelf EfficacySeriesServicesSocial MobilityStudent SelectionsStudentsTrainingTraining ProgramsTreatment outcomeUnderrepresented PopulationsUnderrepresented StudentsUnited StatesUnited States National Institutes of HealthUnited States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services AdministrationUniversitiesWritingaddictioncareercareer developmentcareer preparationcognitive developmentcohortcourse sequencedigitaleducation researchethnic diversityexperiencegraduate schoolgraduate school preparationimprovedinnovationmatriculationnext generationonline repositoryopportunity costprofessorprogramsracial diversityskillssocialstatisticsstudent mentoringsubstance usesubstance use treatmentsymposiumtreatment disparityundergraduate research experienceundergraduate student
No Sub Projects information available for 1R25DA061485-01
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 1R25DA061485-01
Patents
No Patents information available for 1R25DA061485-01
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 1R25DA061485-01
Clinical Studies
No Clinical Studies information available for 1R25DA061485-01
News and More
Related News Releases
No news release information available for 1R25DA061485-01
History
No Historical information available for 1R25DA061485-01
Similar Projects
No Similar Projects information available for 1R25DA061485-01