Kate Lapane PhD, in partnership with Brian Lewis PhD, leads the Initiative to Maximize Student Development (IMSD) research training program, funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Professor and Associate Dean Kate Lapane, in partnership with Professor Brian Lewis PhD (Assistant Vice Provost for Outreach and Recruitment), leads the Initiative to Maximize Student Development (IMSD) research training program, funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
Analysis of the trends in the biomedical sciences workforce and trainee pool consistently demonstrate that specific racial and ethnic groups remain underrepresented in the biomedical sciences workforce and trainee pool relative to their representation within the population of the United States. The mission of the IMSD is to facilitate the excellence of a cadre of talented young scientists from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. The program strives to achieve its mission through the deployment of:
• a series of academic and research activities that increase the excellence of participating students as biomedical scientists;
• professional development activities that prepare participants for success in a range of biomedical sciences- related careers; and
• the implementation of training workshops that shift trainee self-perception and mentor training capacity.
Explicit goals of the program include to:
1) Increase student retention and completion rates
2) Decrease time to degree completion
3) Increase student publications including first author publications
4) Successful attainment of individual post-doctoral fellowships
5) Attainment of desired post-graduate opportunities

Our priority is to enhance the doctoral training experience of IMSD trainees to produce rigorously trained, successful PhD scientists who will persist in biomedical sciences-related careers.