From the NIH: A Systems Approach to Increasing the Diversity of the Biomedical Research Workforce

Abstract

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is committed to attracting, developing, and supporting the best scientists from all groups as an integral part of excellence in training. Biomedical research workforce diversity, capitalizing on the full spectrum of skills, talents, and viewpoints, is essential for solving complex human health challenges. Over the past few decades, the biomedical research workforce has benefited from NIH programs aimed at enhancing diversity. However, there is considerable room for improvement, particularly at the level of independent scientists and within scientific leadership. We provide a rationale and specific opportunities to develop and sustain a diverse biomedical research workforce through interventions that promote the successful transitions to different stages on the path toward completion of training and entry into the biomedical workforce.

Figure 1.

Percent of underrepresented and well-represented trainees across career stages in the biomedical research workforce. Data represent the 2011–2012 academic year. Data were compiled using assessments from the 2013 Digest of Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/2013menu_tables.asp). Gender and racial/ethnicity data analyzed by academic field (i.e., biological and biomedical sciences) at each stage of the academic training/career pathway. Scientists from underrepresented groups include blacks/African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and Alaska Natives, Pacific Islanders, and multiracial scientists. Scientists from well-represented groups include whites, Asians, and non-U.S. residents. While gender and racial/ethnicity data from the 2013 NCES Digest are disambiguated by academic field during the training stages (i.e., trainees awarded biomedical science degrees at the associate’s through doctoral stages) in the 2011–2012 academic year, similar disambiguation of data is not currently available for the 2011–2012 academic year for early-career and tenured faculty. Instead, data were compiled from multiple NCES data sets to estimate gender and racial/ethnicity representation in the biomedical research and teaching workforce (refer to * in figure). Initial 2011–2012 data pertaining to gender and racial/ethnicity representation in the total professoriate across all academic career stages were adjusted to reflect differences in gender and racial/ethnicity representation between the total professoriate and that of the biomedical professoriate. These estimated 2011–2012 findings were further substantiated by close alignment with disambiguated 2004 NCES Digest findings.

Figure 2.

NIH biomedical research training programs. Schematic of NIH programs that fund trainees at the undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral, and early biomedical research career stages that include: Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (Diversity Supplement Program), National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN), Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD), MARC Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research (MARC U*STAR), Bridges to the Baccalaureate (BRIDGES), Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP), Bridges to the Doctorate (BRIDGES), Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE), Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD), Institutional Predoctoral National Research Service Award (NRSA-T32), Individual Predoctoral National Research Service Award Fellowships (NRSA-Fs), Institutional Postdoctoral National Research Service Award (NRSA -T32), Individual Postdoctoral National Research Service Award (NRSA- F32), Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA), Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00), and Career Development Awards (Career-Ks). Purple, NIGMS programs; green, programs offered by multiple NIH institutes and centers; magenta, NIH Common Fund program.

Figure 3.

Estimate of Fiscal Year 2015 NIH training/career development participants by career state and diversity focus. An estimate of the percentage of trainees and early-career scientists in 2015 being supported by NIH through traditional training/career development programs (orange) and diversity-focused training/career development programs (blue); data represent participants in the F/T/K module in the NIH Query, View, and Report system, which incorporates individual fellowships/mentored awards as part of the records, as well as appointees currently available in the NIH xTrain reporting system. Approximately 4% of trainees and early-career scientists were not trackable and thus are not mapped onto the career pathway. Diversity Supplement Program participants and participants in the Loan Repayment Program were not included in this estimate. In cases in which programs addressed multiple career stages of a trainee’s career, proportions of trainees/early-career scientists were assigned to each category based on estimates of the distribution of training/career development participant types in that program. Note that, although the figure depicts continuous data in a line graph, the assumption is that there are no intermediate percentages of trainees funded between career stages.