Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program at the University of Kansas/Haskell Indian Nations University

The Haskell-KU Bridge V Program supports students from Haskell Indian Nations University who seek to develop careers in biomedical, bioengineering, behavioral and environmental health fields by transferring to the University of Kansas (KU) to pursue degree options not available at Haskell. This 20-year old program has a history of collaboration between institutions, as well as among other NIH- training and workforce development programs, to ensure a high rate of Haskell students can achieve Bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields that can lead to biomedical careers. The overarching goal is for Haskell trainees to envision a future in bioscience careers, to build the skills and resources they need to succeed, and to foster strong mentoring relationships invested in the success of trainees. This vision is accomplished through four objectives, which may be conceptualized as forming a staircase to help students unlock their chosen bioscience career.

First, the applicant pool will be expanded by increasing program visibility and appeal to the specific interests of Haskell students (Objective 1). The program will produce well-trained scientists through an integrated succession of skills training, mentored research, and professional development activities (Objective 2). Program activities are designed to build a strong cohort of trainees that develop confidence in their scientific potential, self-efficacy, and engagement with scientists from Haskell, KU and more broadly (Objective 3). KU mentors will be prepared for meeting the specific goals of Haskell trainees by providing evidence-based mentor orientation and training (Objective 4).

This program renewal puts an increased emphasis on sequential training and meeting the individualized goals of Haskell trainees with a focus on: 1) developing interest in the program by creating an event with Distinguished Program Alumni describing how their work contributes to STEM-related societal challenges, drives biotechnology innovation, and contributes to real-world science careers. 2) connecting students to the Kansas biocareers ecosystem through programming from a public-private partnership, 3) the increased use of career and professional development tools early in the trainee’s development, by implementing activities from the Entering Research curriculum, 4) closer interactions with program alumni to better build peer learning and mentoring networks, which are informal mentoring and learning communities, and 5) technical, operational and professional skills development through a detailed two-year sequence designed to create close cohorts of students. Program activities will be aligned and synergistic with those of other research training and professional development programs at KU, expanding the community accessed by Bridge trainees at KU. The sequential, additive nature of these objectives builds a program that students engage with in three phases: 1) pre-Bridge, 2) the Basic Skills Year (Year 1), and 3) the Collaboration and Self Efficacy Year (Year 2). Completing these three phases allows for a higher success rate for Haskell trainees to transfer to KU and complete their degrees by building both confidence and community.

Grant Number: 5T34GM142615-04
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Josephine Chandler