November 2024 SOCRA Source Journal - Journal - Page 61
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Perspectives of a
Post-Baccularate Program
Advancing Diversity, Equity,
and Inclusion in Pediatric
Clinical Research and
Professional Pathways
Joanna Ly, BA
University of Minnesota, Dept. of Pediatrics
Joanna Ly, BA
INTRODUCTION/
BACKGROUND
According to a 2023 report,
Hispanics, Blacks, and American
Indians or Alaska Natives made
up 37% of the total population
but collectively earned only
24% of master’s degrees and
16% of doctoral degrees
within science and engineering
昀椀elds.1 To mitigate this gap,
the D-PRIME (Diversifying
Pediatric Research through
Individualized Mentorship and
Experiences) pilot program was
created within the Pediatric
Clinical Research Services (Peds
CRS) team at the University
of Minnesota Department of
Pediatrics in 2022. The pilot
was developed collaboratively
by physician champions and
leadership from Peds CRS, the
Department of Pediatrics, and
the Of昀椀ce of the Vice Dean for
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion of
the Medical School. The goal of
this program is to identify postbaccalaureates from populations
that are under-represented
in science and medicine who
have interest in pursuing careers
in these areas and provide
professional development
opportunities and experiences
in clinical care and clinical
research with the long-term goal
of increasing representation of
these populations of professional
school attendees. It is a twoyear program that is a full-time
paid professional position as
a clinical research coordinator.
The position involves learning
clinical research coordination
for a variety of clinical research
projects, in conjunction with
professional learning experiences
and networking. This article will
discuss the program structure and
the personal experience of the
inaugural learner in the University
of Minnesota Department of
Pediatrics D-PRIME program.
D-PRIME PROGRAM
Program structure
The structure of the D-PRIME
program is organized into
three domains. The 昀椀rst
domain involves serving as a
Clinical Research Coordinator
(CRC) within the University
of Minnesota Department of
Pediatrics Clinical Research
Services (Peds CRS) under the
direction of Jennifer Goldfarb,
MSN, RN, CCRP, Executive
Director, Clinical Research.
The second domain consists
of professional development
curriculum through educational
seminars, shadowing various
health professional careers,
and engaging with community
partnerships under the direction
of Beth Thielen, MD, PhD,
Assistant Professor, Department
of Pediatrics. The third, and last,
domain embodies the experience
of discovery, ownership of
thought, and delivery of new
ideas via academic research.
The subsequent paragraphs will
delve deeper into the speci昀椀cs of
each of these three domains from
the perspective of the inaugural
learner of the D-PRIME program,
Joanna Ly.
SOCRA SOURCE © November 2024
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