Recommendation 1: Create an NIH Academy
We recommend creating an NIH Academy to serve as a nexus for recruiting and training a diverse population of scholars - from high school past doctoral studies - as they pursue careers in the health sciences. The proposed NIH Academy would be a model training forum located initially at the Bethesda campus of the Intramural Research Program. The specific design of the Academy would be recommended by a group of scientists, administrators, and educators with the experience and motivation to improve recruitment, training, and mentoring of a diverse new generation of scientists. The proposed Academy would encompass the coordination of existing training and recruiting programs and would also include new mentoring-intensive residential and local programs to train and advance the early biomedical careers of these scientists. With an emphasis on integration and connectivity of programs, the Academy would cultivate the talents of underrepresented scientists and others who could make a contribution in reducing health disparities.
After appropriate evaluation, the NIH Academy could expand to be based at academic health science institutions throughout the United States. The Academy requires a commitment across all NIH institutes and centers and from the leaders of both the intramural and extramural programs. Creating the Academy will require increased funding and allocation of resources for research training.
Based on the available literature, suggestions from a large number of diverse groups, and the wisdom of many experts in this area, the committee sees four elements that will be critical for the success of the NIH Academy:
Critical Element A: Mentoring
Success within the intramural environment requires solid and sustained mentoring from NIH staff with consistent support and leadership from the NIH Director, Institute Directors, Scientific Directors, and Laboratory/Branch Chiefs. The dedication of NIH mentors as teachers and role models will be fundamental to the intramural Academy's success. When the extramural Academy is created, it will require the same dedication and leadership from faculty, staff, and administrators of academic health science centers.
Critical Element B: Residential Program
A residential program that supports students or fellows working and living together will reinforce the encouragement and counsel of mentors. A residential format fosters a sense of community and purpose and is essential for success.
Critical Element C: Continuity of Support
Students of the NIH Academy must be nurtured through the continuum of training -- from summer high school programs through college and graduate school, and post-residency and postdoctoral studies. (See example below). Public and private support must be marshaled to support summer research, residential fellowships, scholarships, student loan repayment, and transitions from one career stage to another. NIH support during graduate years may take the form of fellowships while a student is enrolled in an existing graduate program or, in the case of a few clinical trainees, might occur at a new graduate program - still in preliminary discussion stages - in association with the Clinical Research Center at NIH. Transition to the extramural environment after training should receive particular emphasis, possibly with support from early career development grants like those awarded through the K22 program, which provides transitional support for early career investigators moving from the intramural program to the extramural program.
Critical Element D: Community Involvement
The experience and motivation of NIH Academy students and fellows will be enriched by opportunities to work on research problems in targeted communities close to the various Academies.
Example of the Success of the NIH Academy
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The NIH experience of one extraordinary young
scientist, Jose
Vargas, serves as a model for the potential success
of the NIH Academy. |
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Revised: 12/21/99