Trailblazers and Tomorrow

This month, we recognize the trailblazers at the Neuroscience Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM). MSM has partnered with NINDS to offer a Specialized Neuroscience Research Program , which seeks to prepare underrepresented students for a future in neuroscience research. ?“We showed that it is possible to recruit faculty right out of postdoctoral training and support their rise to national prominence with assistance from NINDS and other NIH partners,” said Dr. Peter MacLeish, Professor of Neurobiology at MSM. While there is still work to be done to eliminate the barriers to careers in scientific research, partnership-building is essential to fostering a culture of inclusion.?

At NINDS, achieving diversity in the neuroscience workforce is critical to meeting our research goals. Our Office of Programs to Enhance Workforce Diversity (OPEN) has established creative programs that provide financial support and resources to aspiring scientists across research career stages, from undergraduate research to landing their faculty dream jobs at universities. For example, the NIH Blueprint Enhancing Neuroscience Diversity through Undergraduate Research Education Experience (ENDURE) engages and supports undergraduates from underrepresented groups through an immersive two-year research program. A joint program supported by NINDS and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) funds educational activities for students in a three-year program that will help them succeed as Ph.D. scientists or physicians. Our?NINDS Diversity Faculty K01 fills a critical need to support talented diverse researchers at the tenure-track faculty level. And NINDS also supports Research Opportunities for New and "At-Risk" Investigators to Promote Workforce Diversity through an R01 mechanism.?

We still have much to achieve, but we are grateful to our scientists, staff, and programs that support the neuroscience community. Building a diverse, inclusive, talented workforce requires embracing new perspectives, addressing health inequities, and accelerating cutting-edge brain research that benefits everyone.?

“Trailblazers and Tomorrow” is a new series in which NINDS recognizes historical neuroscience champions and describes ongoing NINDS efforts in this space.?