The Virtual Summer Research Program: supporting future physician-scientists from underrepresented backgrounds

Abstract

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Pathways and barriers to becoming physician-scientists for first-generation individuals

“…Virtual options could also be explored, such as the Virtual Summer Research Program established by the American Physician Scientists Association. 27…”

“…Research Program established by the American Physician Scientists Association. 27 A common theme in our study was a lack of encouragement to pursue the MD-PhD pathway, especially from pre-medical advisors. Clearer messaging to interested students and pre-medical advisors from programs regarding their requirements and goals could be helpful in addressing the belief that first-generation students may not be competitive applicants.…”

Laying the groundwork to make diversity, equity, and inclusion front and center in clinical and translational research

“…Rubio et al report women and members of underrepresented groups remain persistently underrepresented among principal investigators in the National Institute of Health's CTSA program while women have greater representation as participants in the career development and training programs, and non-White individuals are better represented in the training programs [10]. Manuscripts also describe the implementation of novel training curricula addressing structural racism and centering the lived experience of impacted people, as well as training and mentorship programs for URM students, early-career investigators, and clinical research professionals engaged in clinical research recruitment [11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

Fall into science: increasing opportunities to enter the physician-scientist pathway

“…By pairing mentors (e.g., principal investigators and graduate students) with undergraduates from URM backgrounds, APSA aimed to provide future applicants with critical virtual research experiences and resources needed to pursue a physician-scientist career path. With support from BWF, APSA continued VSRP for second and third iterations in 2021 and 2022, supporting over 200 individuals from URM backgrounds who were interested in this pathway of research experiences ( 8 ). Our Applicant Interactive series was built to provide timely support to applicants through virtual question-and-answer sessions.…”

“…Since 2020 alone, APSA has supported more than five needs and intervention assessments. We have published our findings, including “Factors associated with underrepresented minority physician scientist trainee career choices ( 11 ),” “The impact of COVID-19 on physician-scientist trainees and faculty in the United States: a national survey ( 12 ),” and “The Virtual Summer Research Program: supporting future physician-scientists from underrepresented backgrounds ( 8 ).”…”