Grant Creates UAMS Summer Research Program for Undergraduates

By Jon Parham

 Breana McElroy, a student in the Summer Research Internship Program, works in a UAMS lab.
Breana McElroy, a student in the Summer Research Internship Program, works in a UAMS lab.

July 15, 2011 | Some second-year college students will be able to conduct research at UAMS while being exposed to potential careers in health care through a new summer research program funded through a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Billy Thomas, M.D., M.P.H., associate dean for the Center for Diversity Affairs and UAMS Graduate School Dean Robert McGehee, Ph.D., received a five-year, $250,000 grant from the NIH’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The grant will create the UAMS Summer Undergraduate Research Program to Increase Diversity in Research, which hopes to welcome its first group of undergraduates next summer for a nine-week program of research, mentoring and networking experiences.

The program will target underrepresented and/or disadvantaged students who are entering their sophomore year in college. The specific aim is to increase the diversity of students entering the research fields of cardiovascular, pulmonary or hematology, Thomas said.

“One of the unique things about this program is that it does not require that the students only pursue a career in research,” Thomas said. “The student also can pursue a career in a health care field – medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, allied health, nursing – so all UAMS colleges can potentially benefit from the program.”

At the beginning of the summer program, participants and their faculty mentors will be trained on successful mentor–mentee relationships. By the program’s end, students with the help of their mentors will develop a short paper and present a 15-minute seminar about their research projects and results.

The students will learn about responsible conduct of research and issues such as women’s cardiovascular health and health disparities. They will attend scientific research seminars presented by UAMS faculty and have lunches with UAMS students from various colleges to promote UAMS programs.

The program will promote leadership development through a series of lectures by faculty from the Clinton School of Public Service along with distinguished guest lecturers.

Participants will be exposed to clinical care in cardiology, visit the UAMS Clinical Skills and Simulation Center as well as have the opportunity to observe an actual surgery.

“Students will benefit not just from these experiences but also get a real sense of the multiple careers available to them in health care,” Thomas said.

Students will be recruited nationwide to participate in the program with emphasis on recruitment at both two- and four-year undergraduate universities and colleges in Arkansas. Applicants must submit an application, copies of their transcripts, two letters of recommendation and an essay describing their interest in the program and future career plans.

Thomas said there are still very few minority health professionals.

National data show that non-Hispanic whites 25 years or older receive a bachelor’s degree at a rate 2–3 times that of minorities. This situation is even more challenging in Arkansas, where in two- and four-year public and independent schools, the average percentage of African-American undergraduate students on Arkansas campuses is 18.7 percent compared to 73.9 percent for non-Hispanic whites.

“This summer research program will allow us to identify and recruit very competitive underrepresented and disadvantaged students from across the country,” Thomas said.

Undergraduates interested in the program can contact Kristen Sterba, Ph.D., assistant dean of the UAMS Graduate School, (501)526-7396 or by email at kmsterba@uams.edu.