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. 2023 Apr 27;20(9):5662.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20095662.

Individual and Institutional Factors Contribute to Research Capacity Building for Early-Stage Investigators from Groups Underrepresented in Biomedical Research: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Yulia A Levites Strekalova  1 , Diana L Kornetti  1 , Ruixuan Wang  1 , Adriana Báez  2 , Lee S Caplan  3 , Muhammed Y Idris  3 , Kimberly Lawson  3 , Jada Holmes  3 , Mohamed Mubasher  3 , Priscilla Pemu  3 , Jonathan K Stiles  3 , Maritza Salazar Campo  4 , Alexander Quarshie  3 , Thomas Pearson  1 , Elizabeth O Ofili  3
Affiliations

Individual and Institutional Factors Contribute to Research Capacity Building for Early-Stage Investigators from Groups Underrepresented in Biomedical Research: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Yulia A Levites Strekalova et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Enhancement of diversity within the U.S. research workforce is a recognized need and priority at a national level. Existing comprehensive programs, such as the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) and Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI), have the dual focus of building institutional research capacity and promoting investigator self-efficacy through mentoring and training.

Methods: A qualitative comparative analysis was used to identify the combination of factors that explain the success and failure to submit a grant proposal by investigators underrepresented in biomedical research from the RCMI and non-RCMI institutions. The records of 211 participants enrolled in the NRMN Strategic Empowerment Tailored for Health Equity Investigators (NRMN-SETH) program were reviewed, and data for 79 early-stage, underrepresented faculty investigators from RCMI (n = 23) and non-RCMI (n = 56) institutions were included.

Results: Institutional membership (RCMI vs. non-RCMI) was used as a possible predictive factor and emerged as a contributing factor for all of the analyses. Access to local mentors was predictive of a successful grant submission for RCMI investigators, while underrepresented investigators at non-RCMI institutions who succeeded with submitting grants still lacked access to local mentors.

Conclusion: Institutional contexts contribute to the grant writing experiences of investigators underrepresented in biomedical research.

Keywords: diversity in biomedical research; early-stage investigators; grant writing coaching; research capacity building.

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Conflict of interest statement

None of the study investigators/personnel has disclosed any conflict of interest associated with being a member in this project.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Factors contributing to successful grant submissions.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Factors contributing to the failure to submit a grant application.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Diagram of factors contributing to grant submission. Numbers in parentheses indicating the number of participants for each combination of factors, and colors indicating no (gray), low (red), moderate (yellow), and high (green), and very high (dark green) recurrence.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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