Factors Contributing to the Success of NIH-Designated Underrepresented Minorities in Academic and Nonacademic Research Positions

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: We report the outcomes of a survey of underrepresented minorities (URMs) in life science academic (e.g., faculty) and nonacademic (e.g., research-related) positions seeking to ascertain variables that contribute to their success (e.g., favorable or desired outcome). Given that they had positions in research careers, all respondents were presumed to be successful, and we sought to identify shared factors that were associated with this success. As in previous studies, respondents reported that undergraduate research opportunities, performing research in small- to medium-sized laboratories, and access to mentors throughout all stages of training were important factors for success in their careers. Surprisingly, analysis of the survey results suggests that a record of publications in high-impact factor journals was not essential for their success. There were fundamental differences in the experiences and needs of URMs in academic and nonacademic careers. For example, academic URMs ranked having mentorship as their first choice in order of importance compared with the nonacademic respondents, who ranked this category as their fifth selection. These findings suggest that taking diverse approaches toward these groups is critical for ensuring that all of the most creative minds have an equal opportunity to contribute to realizing our national research goals and diversified workforce.

Source: CBE—Life Sciences Education

DOI: 10.1187/cbe.16-09-0287

Authors: Luis R. Martinez, Dwayne W. Boucaud, Arturo Casadevall, Avery August

Institutions: The University of Texas at El Paso, Quinnipiac University, Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University

Language: English

Topic: Career Development and Diversity

Subfield: Safety Research

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: National Institutes of Health, University of Texas at El Paso, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities

OpenAlex ID: W2805791769