November 2024 SOCRA Source Journal - Journal - Page 65
and engagement. This project
allowed me to go through
the life cycle of a clinical
research project—starting from
developing a research question,
and continuing all the way to
presenting my 昀椀ndings at the
2024 38th Annual PEDS PRESS.
PRESS is an annual event
through which the Department
of Pediatrics celebrates and
showcases the depth and
breadth of research and
scholarly activities performed
by department trainees and
sponsored by faculty members.
PRESS uses a combination of
oral and poster presentations
to showcase these activities.
This symposium allowed me to
engage with fellow faculty and
staff from the Department of
Pediatrics, exchanging valuable
ideas and insights about the
ongoing impactful research
currently underway in the
department. In addition, I had
the honor of receiving a secondplace award for my poster in
my category.
With the connections and
resources the department has
provided, I have also been able
to build relationships with groups
working in the community.
These include Hennepin County
Medical Center (HCMC) Talent
Garden, University of Minnesota
Community Outreach Retention
and Engagement (CORE),
Urban Research and OutreachEngagement Center (UROC), etc.
The HCMC Talent Garden has
a vision to diversify the medical
昀椀eld through a comprehensive
initiative designed to ignite
young people of color’s interest
in top healthcare careers2.
With the connections I have
formed, I have been granted the
opportunity to be a continual
volunteer at the HCMC Talent
Garden events and see 昀椀rsthand
how these programs spark
interest in the medical 昀椀eld
for the future generation of
healthcare professionals. As a
learner who is also exploring
and considering different
careers in healthcare, I am
happy to help support other
young learners in their journey
to career discovery. Similarly,
CORE is a holistic, culturally
relevant program out of the
University of Minnesota’s
Of昀椀ce for Equity and Diversity
to support the engagement
in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) of families from
underrepresented groups in
STEM. CORE’s program delivery
for their student cohort is
grounded in the FACE of CORE:
Family engagement, Academic
support and social-emotional
learning, College & career
readiness, and Engagement in
the UMN STEM ecosystem4.
Under the leadership of mentor
Dr. Beth Thielen and support
from the Thielen lab, I have
been granted the opportunity
to help with curriculum
development and planning
for an educational session for
the CORE student cohort. In
collaboration with CORE, I
have been able to foster and
disseminate my own love of
STEM to multicultural students.
CONCLUSION
My experiences thus far in the
D-PRIME program have clearly
connected to the program’s
stated goal to provide
professional development
opportunities and experiences
in clinical care and clinical
research to post-baccalaureates
from populations that are underrepresented in science and
medicine, who have interest in
pursuing careers in these areas.
While I am still in the process
of exploring my future career
aspirations, this reality serves
as a foundational motivator
for my pursuit of any career. I
aim that, in whatever capacity
I 昀椀nd myself, I can contribute
to amplifying the voices of
historically underrepresented
experiences and act as a
bridge to connect with those
communities. Concluding my
initial year in the D-PRIME
program and embarking on
the second, I’ve taken time
to re昀氀ect on my journey
and the knowledge gained.
Moving forward, I aspire to
use these acquired skills and
insights in my role as an active
clinical research coordinator,
further cultivating my path
as a budding researcher and
embarking forward on my
professional journey.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I extend my gratitude to Amy
Kodet, MPP, Jennifer Goldfarb,
MSN, RN, CCRP, and Dr. Beth
Thielen, MD, PhD (University
of Minnesota Medical School,
Department of Pediatrics).
Their unwavering guidance,
invaluable feedback, and
steadfast support has been
essential in this writing process
and the overall mission of
the Diversifying Pediatric
Research through Individualized
Mentorship and Experiences
(D-PRIME) program.
The Diversifying Pediatric
Research through Individualized
Mentorship and Experiences
(D-PRIME) program was
supported by the University
of Minnesota Medical School
Of昀椀ce of Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion, the University of
Minnesota Medical School
Department of Pediatrics,
and the Thielen Laboratory.
This content is solely the
responsibility of the authors
and does not necessarily
represent the of昀椀cial views of
the above mentioned support
organizations.
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