Bridges To the Doctorate Program

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Bridges To the Doctorate Program

• Shiva P. Singh, Ph.D.
• Division of Minority Opportunities in Research
• National Institute of General Medical Sciences
• National Institutes of Health, USDHHS
• July 25, 2008

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Outline of Presentation

• Overview of Bridges to the Doctorate Program
  (PAR-07-410)
• Guidance for Bridges to the Doctorate Program
  Development

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Bridges Program Goals

• An institutional program funded by NIGMS and
  NCMHD that is designed to increase the number of
  masters degree students from underrepresented
  groups and/or health disparities populations
  (URMs) who transfer and complete the Ph.D. degree
  in biomedical and behavioral sciences.

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The Bridges Program Emphasizes

• Institutional Focus impact on Bridges and
  non-Bridges students alike so more students
  transfer from the masters degree institution to
  the Ph.D. degree-granting institution.
• Partnership of masters degree institutions with
  the Ph.D. degree-granting institutions
• Program with well-integrated developmental
  activities that will provide URMs with the
  necessary academic preparation and skills to
  enable their transition and successful completion
  of the Ph.D. degree in biomedical/behavioral
  sciences.
• Clear Expectations

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Partnership/Consortium

• Purpose To facilitate a seamless transition of
  targeted
• students from the masters degree institution to
  the Ph.D. degree-granting institution in
  biomedical/behavioral sciences
• Up to three (3) institutions in the partnership,
  including the applicant institution, unless
  strongly justified otherwise
• An institution may participate in more than one
  Bridges to the Doctorate partnership if strongly
  justified by the potential to magnify the
  programs and institutions outcomes

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Bridges Students
(Students who receive support in the form of
salaries/wages)

• Students from groups underrepresented in the
  biomedical and behavioral research enterprise of
  the nation and/or populations disproportionately
  affected by health disparities (targeted groups).
  Nationally, these groups include, but are not
  limited to, African Americans, Hispanic
  Americans, Native Americans (including Alaska
  Natives), Natives of the U.S. Pacific Islands,
  and/or rural Appalachians.
• Must be U.S. citizens or non-citizen nationals or
  permanent residents.
• Must be matriculated full-time in masters degree
  program in biomedical/behavioral science fields
  at the partner masters degree institution.

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Student Selection Critical Mass

• Student Selection
• Institutions responsibility to establish student
  qualifications
• Describe the criteria for selection and retention
  of Bridges students into the program
• Critical Mass
• 6-8 Bridges students in the program, each year
• 3 Bridges students from each masters degree
  institution

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Program Expectations

• Baseline Data Goals to Improve
• Effective Partnerships
• Strong Pool of Targeted Students
• Well-integrated Student Development Activities
  year-round
• Strong Institutional Commitment
• Sound Evaluation Plan

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What Are the Baseline Data Measurable
Objectives?

• Baseline
• The baseline is a starting point it serves as a
  guide to capacity,
• and is necessary to gauge the impact of the
  program. For example,
• an increase of 100 on a base of 1 is not nearly
  as impressive as if
• it were on a base of 10.
• Usually its an average data over a 3-5 year
  period
• Measurable Objectives
• These are brief (and focused) statements of end
  results
• connected to the long-term goal. They can be
  qualitative and
• quantitative, but must be measurable.
• They are not a means to an end, or a checklist of
  to do list.

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Examples of Baseline Data Measurable Objectives

• An application proposes to increase the number
  of masters degree students who transfer to Ph.D.
  degree programs in biomedically relevant sciences
• How many and what percent of its students
  currently transfer to Ph.D. degree -granting
  institutions in biomedically relevant
  disciplines? (baseline)
• What is the proposed number and percentage of
  students who will transfer to Ph.D. degree
  -granting institutions in biomedically relevant
  disciplines during the grant period (measurable
  objective)

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Examples of Baseline Data Objectives, cont.

• Institutional Baseline
• Out of a total of 40 masters degree students
  (60 non-URM and 40 URM), 9 non-URMs (37.5) and
  4 URMs (25) actually transfer to Ph.D. degree
  programs in biomedically relevant disciplines per
  year (average data from 2004-2007).
• Institutional Objective
• The URM transfer in biomedically relevant
  disciplines will increase from the current rate
  of 25 to 37.5 (from an average of 4 to 6
  students per year) by the fourth year of the
  grant award.

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Examples of Baseline Data Objectives, cont.

• Bridges Baseline on Students Transfer - An
  average of 4 out of 8 (50) Bridges students in
  the program transferred to Ph.D. degree programs
  in biomedically relevant disciplines per year
  (average data from 2004-2007).
• Objective - The transfer of Bridges students to
  Ph.D. degree programs in biomedically relevant
  disciplines will increase from the current rate
  of 50 to 75 (from an average of 4 to 6 students
  per year) by the fourth year of the grant award.
• Bridges Baseline on Degree Completion - An
  average of 2 out of 4 (50) transferring Bridges
  students completed the Ph.D. degree in
  biomedically relevant disciplines per year
  (average data from 2004-2007).
• Objective - Bridges students Ph.D. degree
  completion in biomedically relevant disciplines
  will increase from the current rate of 50 to 75
  (to an average of 4.5 graduates per year) by the
  fourth year of the grant award.

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Goals to Improve the Track Record

• Clearly stated goals, and measurable objectives
  relative to the baseline and in context of NIH
  expectations
• Must improve on the previous record and make
  substantial progress towards meeting the NIH
  expectations during the next 5 years

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NIH Expectations

• Institutional
• Increase in the institutional transfer of
  targeted students (Bridges non-Bridges) to
  Ph.D. degree programs in biomedically relevant
  sciences by 50 in five years
• Bridges
• Increase in the transfer of Bridges students to
  Ph.D. degree programs in biomedically relevant
  sciences (75 in five years)
• Increase in the Ph.D. degree completion of
  transferring Bridges students (80 in five years)

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BASELINE DATA AND OBJECTIVES
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Examples of Developmental Activities

• To Move the Institution Forward from Baseline to
  NIH Expectations
• Faculty from the two types of institutions
  jointly developing courses and curricula,
  including updating existing or developing
  new/advanced courses at the masters degree
  institution
• Faculty from the doctorate institution serving as
  visiting lecturers, offering lectures and/or
  laboratory courses at the masters degree
  institution
• Faculty from the doctorate institution providing
  mentored research experiences to Bridges
  students, including the summer research
  internships, and serving on their thesis advisory
  committees
• Fostering research capacity of the masters
  degree institution via research collaborations

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Examples of Developmental Activities

• Allowing Bridges students to take some courses,
  and complete part of their masters thesis
  research at the doctoral institution
• Providing Bridges students access to computer and
  library facilities, seminars, and workshops,
  etc., at the doctoral institution
• Establishing a mentoring and academic counseling
  program for masters students with faculty at the
  doctoral institution
• Advanced or special courses and scientific
  research conferences for Bridges faculty from the
  masters degree institution

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Institutional Commitment

• Strong commitment to the goals of the proposed
  program from all participating institutions,
  including commitment to
• Provide the institutional data on the transfer of
  URMs and non-URMs in biomedically relevant
  sciences
• Provide the data on transfer and Ph.D. degree
  completion by Bridges students in biomedically
  relevant sciences
• Track Bridges students over a ten-year period as
  they progress through the pipeline
• Institutionalize the most effective activities
  supported by the Bridges program

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Evaluation

• Purpose Provide information useful to the
  applicant and the partner institutions for
  improving the program, and for institutionalizing
  the most effective activities supported by the
  Bridges program.
• A sound evaluation plan, with timeline, thats
  in-line with measurable goals and objectives
• Identify the selected evaluator and include
  his/her biosketch

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Consortium Agreement

• Consortium agreement between the masters and
  Ph.D.
• degree-granting institutions define the
  participating institutions
• respective roles in administering the Bridges
  program.
• The application must include a letter from each
  collaborating
• institution signed by the appropriate
  institutional officials and
• program director/program coordinator,
  acknowledging participation
• in the program. These letters must also include
  the following
• THE APPROPRIATE PROGRAMMATIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE
  PERSONNEL
• OF EACH INSTITUTION INVOLVED IN THIS GRANT
  APPLICATION ARE AWARE
• OF THE NIH CONSORTIUM GRANT POLICY AND ARE
  PREPARED TO
• ESTABLISH THE NECESSARY INTER-INSTITUTIONAL
  AGREEMENT(S)
• CONSISTENT WITH THAT POLICY.

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Budget and Years of Support

• The program provides support for student,
  faculty, and institutional development activities
• Budget must be reasonable, well documented, and
• fully justified and commensurate with the scope
  of
• the proposed program
• Duration up to five years

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Guidance for Bridges to the Doctorate Program
Development
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Develop a Plan

• Read the FOA and FQs
• Conduct an institutional assessment and gather
  baseline data how many transferring/graduating
  with Ph.D., why not more transferring/graduating?
  what can change so more will transfer/graduate?
• What are the institutional needs?
• What is your long range goal?
• What are your measurable objectives?
• What activities will help your institution
  achieve these objectives
• How will you evaluate your program outcomes?
• Follow all of the instructions in writing the
  application!!

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Application Components/Organization

• Project Summary, Performance site (s)
• Facilities other Resources
• Key Persons and their Biographical Sketches
• Budget
• Research Plan

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Application Components/Org., Cont.

• Research Plan
• (Introduction)
• Specific Aims and Measurable Objectives
• Background and Significance Institutional
  student data vision and anticipated value
• Preliminary Studies or Progress Report Specific
  Outcome Data Impact on the Institution
• Research Design Methods

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Application Components/Organization, Cont.

• Research Design Methods
• PD, PCs, and Program Faculty
• Developmental Activities
• The rationale and detailed description
• Who will implement and the timeline
• Possible pitfalls and alternative approaches
• Responsible Conduct of Research
• Evaluation Plan
• Consortium Agreements

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Presentation of Data

• Present data in figures, graphs, tables or text
• Place figures, tables, and graphs close to where
  they are referred to in the text
• Make all figures, tables, and graphs clearly
  legible
• Avoid irrelevant information
• Do not use the Appendix to circumvent the page
  limitations of the Research Plan

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Common Reasons for Failure

• Missing or inadequate baseline data
• Lack of clear and well-defined measurable
  objectives
• Lack of adequate progress
• Activities poorly related to the objectives
• Poorly developed or missing evaluation plan
• Lack of institutional commitment or support
• Lack of coordination with other institutional
  programs aimed at accomplishing similar goals
• Program-centric application vs. institutional
  application

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Summary Bridges Essentials

• Institutional baseline data on enrollment and
  transfer of URM non-URM students in
  biomedically relevant disciplines
• Bridges baseline data on the transfer and Ph.D.
  degree completion by the targeted students
• Clear statement of program goals, specific aims,
  and measurable objectives relative to the
  baseline
• Detailed progress report, if applicable
• PD/PI, Coordinators, and program faculty with
  appropriate training and experience
• Detailed description of developmental activities
• Sound evaluation plan (see for example,
  http//oerl.sri.com/ and http//www.nsf.gov/pubs/2
  002/nsf02057/start.htm)
• A plan for training in responsible conduct of
  research
• Evidence of strong institutional commitment
• Consortium Agreement with specific language

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BASELINE DATA AND OBJECTIVES
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INSTRUCTIONS a Provide the number and percent of
URMs and non-URMs who transfer to Ph.D. degree
programs in biomedically relevant sciences from
each participating masters degree institution.
Usually, this is an average data over a 3-5 year
period. The institutional transfer is calculated
by the number of students who actually transfer
to Ph.D. degree programs in biomedically relevant
sciences divided by the number of students
enrolled full-time in masters degree program(s).
b The objectives must be measurable, relative
to the current baseline and in context of NIH
expectations (see FOA for details) c Provide the
number and percent of Bridges students in the
program who transferred to Ph.D. degree programs
in biomedically relevant sciences during the
previous funding cycle. The transfer is
calculated by the number of Bridges students who
actually transferred divided by the total number
of Bridges students in the program. Provide the
collective data for the entire program (not the
individual institution) d Provide the number
and percent of Bridges students in the program
who completed the Ph.D. degree in biomedically
relevant sciences during the previous funding
cycle. The degree completion is calculated by the
number of Bridges students who actually completed
the Ph.D. degree divided by the total number of
transferring Bridges students. Provide the
collective data for the entire program (not the
individual institution)