PROMOTID – PRomoting Outstanding MentOring: Training, Inclusion, and Diversity

Presenter:

James D. Churchill, Ph.D.
Office of the Director
NIMH Training Team Co-Lead

Goal:

This initiative will recognize NIMH-funded Principal Investigators with both an outstanding record of training individuals underrepresented in the biomedical workforce and with a continued commitment to these mentoring activities.

Rationale:

Diversity in the biomedical research workforce is critical for ensuring that the most creative minds have the opportunity to contribute to realizing our national research and health goals. Despite repeated conversations and multiple activities to promote efforts focused on increasing the inclusiveness of our biomedical workforce, little has changed over recent years and significant challenges remain.

The training “pipeline” provides a fertile opportunity to address workforce diversity. Training and mentoring efforts focused on ensuring that diverse perspectives are included in the scientific enterprise require intentional commitments. NIH-supported investigators often provide financial support for individuals working/learning in their laboratory. Yet, the scientific community seldom recognizes or supports efforts to nurture, mentor, and support career development activities, particularly those activities focused on an inclusive workforce.

This initiative aims to recognize NIMH-supported Principal Investigators with both an outstanding record of training individuals underrepresented in the biomedical workforce and with a continued commitment to these mentoring activities. The award will provide support for continued mentoring activities focused on inclusion and encourage additional efforts both within- and outside- the institution. It is hoped that recognizing mentoring excellence with a formal NIH award will both support additional/continued mentoring activities focused on workforce diversity and serve as a tangible asset for tenure and promotion considerations. Lessons learned about innovative approaches for inclusive mentoring will be shared with others.