NIH Awards $1.6 Million PRIDE R25 Grant to WashU Clinical Research Training Center (CRTC) to Advance URiM Postbaccalaureate Engagement in NIDDK Research

The Clinical Research Training Center (CRTC) at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has been awarded a prestigious NIH PRIDE R25 grant valued at $1.6 million. This grant is designed to bolster educational initiatives aimed at engaging postbaccalaureate students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in biomedical and behavioral research, with a particular focus on diabetes, endocrinology, and metabolic (DEM) diseases.

The four-year Postbaccalaureate Research Program in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases (PRIDE R25) will support eight recent graduates from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds. The program will offer these scholars a rigorous two-year mentored research experience in DEM, culminating in at least one scholarly publication. Participants will also benefit from didactic courses, career seminars, conferences, and comprehensive guidance throughout the graduate school application process.

Dr. Ana María Arbeláez, MD, MSCI, and PRIDE R25 program co-director, emphasized the program’s goals, “The purpose of this mentoring initiative is to cultivate a diverse pool of highly skilled postbaccalaureate scholars who will successfully enter and complete doctoral degree programs, such as PhD or MD/PhD, and contribute to biomedical research aligned with the NIDDK mission.”

Dr. Arbeláez added, “As diabetes and obesity rates continue to rise, particularly impacting certain racial and ethnic minority groups in the U.S., it is crucial for academic and research institutions to strengthen their efforts in developing qualified physician-scientists in DEM. This initiative is vital to advancing new treatments and preventive measures for these conditions, especially considering the recent decline in the number of clinical scientist trainees.”

The PRIDE R25 program is open to U.S. citizens from diverse backgrounds, including individuals from underrepresented populations, those with disabilities, or from disadvantaged backgrounds. Consistent with the current law, eligibility is not influenced by race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or transgender status. Candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree (or be in their final year of completion) in biomedical sciences from an accredited U.S. institution.

Applications for the program are being accepted from October 1, 2024 through January 31, 2025, with a program start date scheduled for June 2025. For more information about the PRIDE R25 program at the Washington University School of Medicine, please click here.

The PRIDE R25 program will be co-directed by Ana María Arbeláez, MD, MSCI; Rita Brookheart, PhD; and Dominic Reeds, MD – all leading experts in the DEM field and co-directors of the STEP-UP undergraduate summer research program that is also focused on supporting the NIDDK mission. For questions or more information, please reach email: crtc@wustl.edu