Wayne State receives NIH grant for undergraduate training program in biomedical sciences

Researchers at Wayne State University recently received a nearly $1.97 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health for the T34 program, Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC). This five-year program will continue Wayne State's successful and long-standing undergraduate training program in the biomedical sciences, which was led by Joseph C. Dunbar, Ph.D., professor of physiology and director of medical student research and innovation in Wayne State's School of Medicine.

The program will support approximately 20 undergraduate students each year in a structured academic community that will provide additional career development activities and individualized mentoring to cultivate highly sought-after skills and prepare students to enter into Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. programs and careers in the biomedical sciences.

According to Matthew Allen, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Chemistry in Wayne State's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and one of two principal investigators of the program, the MARC program provides individualized training that meets the needs of a diverse body of students and will include year-round research experiences. The students will be selected at the end of their freshman year to participate in a pre-MARC year as sophomores. At the end of the pre-MARC year, students will be selected for participation in the MARC program, which will last for two years.

This program is going to be a great benefit to Wayne State students in preparing them for careers in biomedical sciences, building on the successes of the long-running IMSD program and parallel to other programs at WSU, such as BUILD and McNair. The emphasis on increasing diversity is critical to the future of biomedical sciences."

Matthew Allen, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Chemistry, Wayne State's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The program will include additional leadership from Lori Pile, Ph.D., one of two principal investigators of the grant and associate professor of biological sciences at Wayne State.

The grant number for this National Institute of General Medical Sciences grant is 1T34GM140932-01. For more information about the program, visit https://reporter.nih.gov/search/sviBQE2Ee06ovIsX6zno0g/project-details/10168804.