The Summer Institute Program to Increase Diversity (SIPID) was launched in 2007 at the University of Texas at Dallas, with Dr. Betty Pace as Program Director. SIPID, subsequently renamed PRIDE-FTG (Programs for Inclusion and Diversity Among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research-Functional and Translational Genomic (PRIDE-FTG) of Blood Disorders), has been a beacon of hope in the quest for diversity in biomedical research. It aims to recruit junior faculty members to summer institutes (SIs) to enhance their research experiences and mentoring activities to promote career advancement. The primary outcome metric of the PRIDE program is for each mentee to submit an NIH grant application or equivalent focused on heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders within two years of completing training. During SIPID, 25 mentees matriculated (1-3). Subsequently, the PRIDE-FTG program launched at Augusta University (AU) in 2011, with the addition of a PRIDE Coordination Core (PCC) and a consortium-wide annual meeting. Through competitive renewals, 89 mentees in ten cohorts matriculated into PRIDE 1 (2011-2014), PRIDE 2 (2015-2018), and PRIDE 3 (2019-2023) for a total of 114 mentees trained since 2007.
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Historically, the most successful strategy for identifying trainees for the PRIDE-FTG Program was referrals from past mentees' testimonials and visits to the website. The most striking statistic is the number of female mentees in recent years, rising from 60% during SIPID (2007-2010) to 100% for three cohorts (2015-2018) matriculating into PRIDE 2. This significant increase is a testament to the program's success in not only attracting but also supporting female researchers in health-related research, inspiring hope for the future of diversity in biomedical research.
To expand program-specific evaluations, we launched semi-structured exit interviews during PRIDE 2. The taped interview at the end of SI2 consisted of several open-ended questions to which mentees responded. When asked why they applied to the PRIDE program, most mentees applied to learn how to write grants. They felt that this was a necessary step in advancing their career. The participants highlighted a gap in their knowledge of applying for and securing grant funding. When asked what they gained from the PRIDE-FTG program, most mentees indicated the Individualized Career Development Plan was one of the most valuable contributors to their growth as it helped them think about their career paths in new and manageable ways. The program's role in helping mentees navigate their careers provides reassurance about the support provided, contributing to their overall growth and success. Overall, the exit interview data showed that PRIDE helped mentees learn what it takes to be a successful research scientist, connect with key people in their research network, and develop grant-writing skills to achieve extramural grant funding. PRIDE-FTG alums were incredibly grateful for their experience in the PRIDE-FTG Program and indicated that the training far exceeded their expectations (4,5).
The PRIDE-FTG program seeks to broaden the mentees' research experience, enhance their grant-writing skills, and increase the number of NIH or equivalent grant proposals submitted. This year-long training program includes two Summer Institutes: didactic lectures, grant-writing workshops, and laboratory practicums. It also consists of a Mentoring Committee comprised of a research mentor, career development mentor, and peer mentoring group. The PRIDE-FTG staff collected program evaluations, grants, publications, and academic promotion data tracked in a RedCap database. Recently, we published findings for 34 mentees trained in SIPID/PRIDE 1 conducting hematology research (6). We observed that 73.5% achieved the primary metric of PRIDE, and 47.1% were principal investigators on NIH grants, mainly K- and R-awards. This rate compares to 35.2% for all racial/ethnic groups combined for NIH-mentored K-awards from 2006 to 2012. These 34 mentees contributed 376 papers to the sickle cell disease and hematology field to support efforts to increase the diversity of the US biomedical workforce. The program's success in achieving the primary outcome metric instills confidence in its effectiveness, contributing to the overall success of the program.
Since 2007, PRIDE-FTG has trained 114 investigators, including 94 Black/African Americans with 87 assistant professors and 39 pediatric and adult hematologists. Consistent with a research focus on blood disorders, 65 mentees (57%) conducted studies related to sickle cell disease covering fundamental, translational, clinical, and public health projects. Most of our mentees (53%) are PhD trained, and research mentors come from academic institutions across the US with diverse research expertise. The primary outcome metric for PRIDE-FTG is the submission of an NIH or equivalent extramural grant within two years of training completion. Of the 90 mentees who met this benchmark, the primary outcome was achieved by 70.0% of mentees, and 44.4% were funded as principal investigators. The current academic rank showed that 54 mentees were promoted to assistant, associate, and full professor (47%). Moreover, the entire cohort contributed 1,465 peer-reviewed publications. Our data demonstrated the long-term impact of PRIDE-FTG training on the career advancement of early-stage underrepresented investigators. The success of this and other structured mentored training programs instills a sense of optimism about the future of diversity in biomedical research (7).
