Background

The Biomedical Science Research Career Enhancement Program, also known as the UCSF/NIGMS Fellowship, began in 1997 with the awarding of the NIGMS grant to support underrepresented minority students pursuing degrees in the life sciences at UCSF. In 2002, the Graduate Division received its second grant, which allows for the support of selected students for up to five years of graduate study.

Program Goals

The Biomedical Science Research Career Enhancement Program has five overarching goals:

• To ensure that fellows are affiliated with research teams in UCSF's most prestigious laboratories or research programs and that the senior faculty members of those teams become the fellows' mentors.
• To provide fellows with "co-curricular" academic experiences that enhance and enrich the regular graduate curriculum and broaden their perspectives and marketable skills.
• To stimulate fellows' involvement in career planning and to ensure their access to campus resources related to research career placement strategies.
• To increase the number of underrepresented minority students who persist in their graduate studies, graduate with doctoral degrees in normative time, and make advances as researchers and educators.
• To contribute to academic literature about programs for advancing the research skills and career placement opportunities of minority graduate students in the academic health sciences.

Eligibility & Selection

The NIGMS fellowship at UCSF specifically targets underrepresented minority students majoring in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. These groups include U.S. citizens who are African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and Natives of the U.S. Pacific Islands. Students do not apply for the fellowship; academic departments who accept students to their program of study nominate eligible and qualified students. The Graduate Division then selects five first-year students to receive the five-year fellowship award.

Student Support

In order to meet the aforementioned goals, receipients of the NIGMS fellowship at UCSF are supported in the following ways:

Financial Support

NIGMS fellows are typically selected in their first year at UCSF, and receive full financial support for five years of graduate study. This support is provided by his/her academic department in the first year, and by the NIGMS award for the next four years. In years two through five, each student receives an annual salary, as well as payment of university tuition and fees. The fellowship also provides an funds for conferences and workshops.

Research Assistanships

UCSF appoints all NIGMS fellows to a research assistantship in the laboratories or programs of prominent faculty members who serve as the principal investigators of peer-reviewed research projects. The participating PI servies as the student's faculty mentor, providing him/her with academic and career counsel.

Academic Enrichment Activities

To add to the value of their academic experience at UCSF, NIGMS fellows are provided with opportunities to participate in academic enrichment programs both on- and off-campus. A co-curriculum outlining the skills that researchers and scholars should develop is provided as a guide to help students select workshops that best meet their needs.

Career Development and Planning

One of the goals of the Biomedical Research Career Enhancement Program at UCSF is to stimulate students' involvement in career planning, and to ensure their access to campus resources related to research career placement strategies. Fellows are encouraged to utilize the UCSF Office of Career and Professional Development and attend career development workshops and fairs.

Peer Mentorship

In addition to faculty mentorship within the laboratory setting, peer mentors are valuable assets to the NIGMS program, and students will have the opportunity to develop personal and professional relationships with their fellow researchers. NIGMS fellows may also provide guidance and mentorship to undergraduate and prospective students through participation in various campus outreach activities.