Williams Lovoria B, Surratt Hilary L, King Victoria L, Kern Philip A
Center for Clinical and Translation Science, College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
Department of Behavioral Science, Center for Clinical and Translational Science, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
J Clin Transl Sci. 2021 Sep 6;5(1):e170. doi: 10.1017/cts.2021.845. eCollection 2021.
Diversity remains low among US colleges faculty, with only 3% identifying as Black or Hispanic. Moreover, underrepresented racial minority faculty often face unique challenges and are less likely than their white counterparts to earn higher academic rank, tenure, and funding, especially those who study health equity. We developed a novel program for health-equity focused pre-docs and junior faculty. The Disparities Researchers Equalizing Access for Minorities (DREAM) Scholars is a 24-month career development program led by the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) that provides pilot and travel funding, career development seminars, mentoring, and writing retreats. We report the outcomes of the first Scholar cohort (N = 10), pre-docs n = 6; assistant professors, n = 4; seven were Black, one Hispanic, two White, one who identified as non-binary. At the end of the program, Scholars coauthored 34 manuscripts, 9 abstracts and 8 grants. Semi-structured interviews revealed seven major program strengths: funding, support and sense of community, accountability, exposure to translational science, network expansion, and exposure to multidisciplinary peers. Scholars provided feedback useful for subsequent cohorts. The DREAM program provided accountability and fostered a sense of community, expanded professional networks and enhanced scholarly productivity. The program serves as a model for implementation throughout the CCTSs.
美国高校教师队伍的多样性仍然较低，只有3%的教师为黑人或西班牙裔。此外，代表性不足的少数族裔教师往往面临独特的挑战，与白人教师相比，他们获得更高学术职级、终身教职和资金的可能性更小，尤其是那些研究健康公平性的教师。我们为关注健康公平性的博士前研究人员和初级教师开发了一个新项目。少数族裔平等获取差异研究（DREAM）学者项目是一个由临床与转化科学中心（CCTS）主导的为期24个月的职业发展项目，该项目提供试点和差旅资金、职业发展研讨会、指导和写作静修活动。我们报告了首批学者群体（N = 10）的成果，其中博士前研究人员n = 6；助理教授n = 4；7人为黑人，1人为西班牙裔，2人为白人，1人认定为非二元性别。在项目结束时，学者们共同撰写了34篇论文、9篇摘要和8项资助申请。半结构化访谈揭示了该项目的七个主要优势：资金、支持与社区感、责任感、接触转化科学、拓展人脉、接触多学科同行。学者们提供了对后续群体有用的反馈。DREAM项目培养了责任感，营造了社区感，拓展了专业人脉，提高了学术产出。该项目为整个临床与转化科学中心的实施提供了一个典范。
