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Despite being disproportionately impacted by health disparities, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and other underrepresented populations account for a significant minority of graduates in biomedical data science-related disciplines. Given their commitment to educating underrepresented students and trainees, minority serving institutions (MSIs) can play a significant role in enhancing diversity in the biomedical data science workforce. Little has been published about the reach, curricular breadth, and best practices for delivering these data science training programs. The purpose of this paper is to summarize six Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMIs) awarded funding from the National Institute of Minority Health Disparities (NIMHD) to develop new data science training programs. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to better understand the demographics of learners served, curricular topics covered, methods of instruction and assessment, challenges, and recommendations by program directors. Programs demonstrated overall success in reach and curricular diversity, serving a broad range of students and faculty, while also covering a broad range of topics. The main challenges highlighted were a lack of resources and infrastructure and teaching learners with varying levels of experience and knowledge. Further investments in MSIs are needed to sustain training efforts and develop pathways for diversifying the biomedical data science workforce.
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This content will become publicly available on August 6, 2025
Centering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Graduate Admissions
Many undergraduate neuroscience trainees aspire to earn a PhD. In recent years the number, demographics, and previous experiences of PhD applicants in neuroscience has changed. This has necessitated both a reconsideration of admissions processes to ensure equity for an increasingly diverse applicant pool as well as renewed efforts to expand access to the training and research experiences required for admission to graduate programs. Here, we describe both facets of graduate school admissions by demystifying the process and providing faculty with tools and resources to help undergraduate students successfully navigate it. We discuss admissions requirements and processes at two graduate institutions, highlighting holistic approaches to evaluating students, the ever-increasing research experience expectations, and the decreasing reliance on the GRE. With a particular focus on improving equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging, we discuss resources for applying to graduate school that are available for students from underrepresented populations, including summer institutes and fellowship programs and intentional relationships with minority serving institutions (MSIs) to foster bi-directional engagement between undergraduate programs at MSIs and graduate institutions. With diverse perspectives as faculty involved in undergraduate education, graduate programs, and post-baccalaureate training programs, we provide recommendations and resources for how to help all trainees — especially those from populations underrepresented in the STEM workforce — succeed in the current graduate education admissions landscape.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2207388
- PAR ID:
- 10539179
- Publisher / Repository:
- Journal for Undergraduate Neuroscience Education
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education
- Volume:
- 22
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 1544-2896
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- A137 to A151
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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