Abstract Body: Introduction A novel Graduate Training and Education Center (GTEC) under the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) was launched in 2018 for Mississippi doctoral students from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical sciences. UMMC GTEC was designed to support scholars through a two-year program in cardiovascular epidemiology with intensive research training institutes, tailored research mentoring to develop peer-reviewed scientific publications, and participation in professional coaching and national scientific meetings. The objective of this work is to describe the program’s unique features, evaluation findings, and the feasibility of complementary research training and mentoring.
Methods A program evaluation framework was used to describe the program processes, outcomes and lessons learned. Data from UMMC GTEC graduates were synthesized using a convergent parallel design consisting of a quantitative questionnaire and qualitative interview data.
Results Since inception, 22 scholars across four cohorts have graduated from UMMC GTEC, all of whom have been from groups characterized by the National Science Foundation as underrepresented in biomedical research in the United States. Four qualitative themes converged with quantitative measures to support the findings of significant increases in self-efficacy for science communication, varying changes in career outcome expectations, and no significant changes in mentor influence. Findings diverged on career interests and science identity. Five scholars (22.7%) submitted their UMMC GTEC project manuscripts to a peer-reviewed journal, four (80.0%) of which have been published. Fifteen of 22 scholars (68.2%) submitted abstracts for presentation at national conferences.
Conclusions While the feasibility of peer-reviewed publications during the two-year training program was low, the feasibility of completing projects and submitting abstracts was high. UMMC GTEC’s mentors have worked effectively with each scholar within their respective contexts and levels of ability, and the program has positively contributed to training the next generation of cardiovascular epidemiology researchers in Mississippi.