Office of the Dean

Minority Science Programs (MSP)

2008 Program Announcement

Applications will be reviewed starting on Wednesday February 20, 2008

Program Director

Dr. Luis Mota-Bravo, Director of Outreach, Research Training and Minority Science Programs, School of Biological Sciences

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Minority Science Programs (MSP) in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) announces the Minority Health and Health Disparities International Research Training (MHIRT), funded by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) and Fogarty International Center (FIC) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The program offers international research training opportunities to qualified undergraduate, graduate and health professions students who are from health disparities populations and/or are underrepresented in basic science, biomedical, clinical or behavioral health research career fields. MHIRT provides international research training for the purpose of:

 

Encouraging undergraduate, graduate and/or health professions students who are from health disparities populations to pursue careers in basic science, biomedical, clinical and behavioral health research fields.

Broadening the research efforts and scientific training of undergraduate, graduate, and/or health professions students from health disparities populations to encompass international health issues.

Assisting undergraduate, graduate and/or health professions students who are from such populations to participate in U.S. and international faculty collaborative research initiatives.
 

MHIRT participants receive research training during the summer and participate in original data collection at prestigious international research institutions in Mexico and Spain.

 

ELIGIBILITY

Participants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents from health disparities groups that are underrepresented in basic science, clinical, biomedical or behavioral health research. Nationally, these groups include African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, and rural Appalachians. Selected participants will have a demonstrated interest to pursue biomedical and behavioral research careers that will contribute ultimately to the elimination of health disparities in the U.S and between populations living in developing countries and the U.S.

 

Applicants should have previous training in Safety and Ethics in Research, including human subjects research, animal research, laboratory health, safety and chemical and biological hazards. To fulfill this requirement, UCI students should have passed Bio 194S (Safety and Ethics in Research) or students should enroll in Bio Sci 194S during Spring 2008; students enrolled at another university should show, by either transcripts or a letter of recommendation, their training in research safety and ethics (responsible conduct of research). UCI students should enroll in the Spring 2008 Bio 197 MSP Seminar Series.

 

Since MHIRT participants are required to attend orientation/training sessions at UCI (before departure to the foreign sites), preference will be given to applicants that attend universities in Southern California.

 

Undergraduates. Undergraduates should have completed approximately two years of coursework in a major related to biomedical or behavioral science, a minimum GPA of 3.0 and/or show other evidence of exceptional scientific interest and talent. Previous undergraduate research experience is highly recommended before entering the MHIRT program.

 

Graduate and Health Professions Students. The program can support graduate students and health professions students who show evidence of commitment to pursuing a career in biomedical research. This interest must be shown through previous research experiences and letters of recommendation from previous research mentors in the areas of MHIRT training (routine clinical or lab work is not considered a research experience).

 

RESEARCH TRAINING AREAS

Students participating in MHIRT receive training in one of the following areas:

 

1) Neurobiology at the Instituto de Neurobiologia, Universidad Autonoma de Mexico Campus Queretaro, Mexico.

 

2) Evolutionary Genetics at Cavanilles Institute, Valencia, Spain.

 

3) Molecular Biology and Virology at Centro de Biologia Molecular 'Severo Ochoa', Madrid-Spain.

 

BENEFITS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND TIMETABLE

The training period at the foreign site must be 10 weeks, from June 23 to August 30, 2008 (plus travel to and from foreign sites). Travel to the foreign sites is June 21, 2008. Participants must adhere to these dates because of the duration of projects and group travel. MHIRT funding includes,

• Round-trip airfare,
• Room and board at the foreign site and
• Summer stipend of $2,500 for undergraduates, $3,500 for Post-baccalaureate/Master level degree students and $4,750 for Pre-doctoral degree level students.

In addition, MHIRT provides support to attend nationwide conferences to present research findings.

 

MHIRT participants are required to turn in a research paper on their projects on September 12, 2008. In addition, UCI students are expected to orally present their findings at the MSP Undergraduate Research Symposium at UCI, September 10-12, and at selected national conferences throughout the academic year.

 

APPLICATION

Applications will be reviewed starting on Wednesday February 20, 2008, until all trainee positions are filled.

 

Please download, complete and sign the MHIRT application package (Word document) that contains the MHIRT Application and Statement of Purpose Forms.

 

For additional information about MHIRT please contact,

Dr. Marlene de la Cruz

Associate Director and Academic Coordinator

Biological Sciences- Outreach and Minority Science Programs

University of California, Irvine

104 Biological Sciences Administration (BSA)

Irvine, CA 92697-2527

Ph: (949) 824-2589

Fax: (949) 824-6599

e-mail: marlene@uci.edu