Recruitment
Graduate Diversity Recruitment Event
Graduate Diversity Recruitment Event is a program designed for prospective students to experience what it’s like to be a PhD biomedical graduate student for a day while also learning about the great opportunities and resources offered at the University of Minnesota, Medical School. Participants will also get a chance to meet with faculty, be mentored by a current PhD student, explore what the UMN Twin Cities campus, and learn about resources.
WHEN
- Thursday, October 10, 2024 to Friday, October 11, 2024
- Program starts Thursday for a full day and then half day on Friday
- Participants to arrive Wednesday afternoon and then depart Friday afternoon
WHO
Eligibility Criteria:
- Be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident
- Research experience
- Studying life sciences or have a strong interest and passion for the biomedical sciences
- Plan to pursue a Ph.D. in the biomedical sciences
- Interested in starting graduate school Fall 2025 or Fall 2026
Preference will be given to students who:
- Have been historically underrepresented in biomedical research
- Identify as first-generation college students (can also be the first in their family to attend graduate school)
- Is considered disadvantaged as defined by the NIH
BENEFITS
- Transportation, meals, and lodging fully covered
- Students who complete the Biomed Preview Days program and choose to attend the U can earn $5000 towards career development
- Application fee waiver
PARTICIPANT LEARNING GOALS
By actively participating in the Graduate Diversity Recruitment Event, participants will be able to:
- Learn about each of the biomedical science graduate programs in the Medical School at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
- Connect with faculty, staff, and graduate students from the various graduate programs
- Explore what the the UMN Twin Cities campus and medical school has to offer
- Shadow a PhD student for a day through engaging activities and networking opportunities
- Get support on how to enhance your graduate application
The 2024 Graduate Diversity Recruitment Event application opens mid-May and will close on July 24, 2024
Questions about the program? Email Marlena Yang, Program Manager for Graduate Studies at yang1358@umn.edu
Upcoming Recruitment Events
GPS Virtual Information Sessions
The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) serves as a resource for current and prospective graduate students in the biomedical sciences within the Medical School. GPS supports graduate student academic, career, and personal success with resources to foster their retention and graduation. At the Medical School, we offer 11 graduate programs with MS and PhD paths. Join GPS for a virtual information session in a live webinar format to learn about the various graduate programs within the UofM Medical School, connect with GPS staff, and discover resources and services available to graduate students. Open to all prospective graduate students!
| Thursday, April 25, 2024 | 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. Central | Register Now! |
| Thursday, May 23, 2024 | 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. Central | Register Now! |
Recruitment Efforts to Promote Diversity in the Workforce
To address the mission of diversifying the workforce in the biomedical sciences, innovative strategies and best practices are continually employed to optimally attract, retain, and train scientists and students from diverse backgrounds and life experiences.
Within the Medical School, we define underrepresented (UR) populations as individuals (a) from racial or ethnic groups underrepresented in health-related sciences, (b) with disabilities, (c) from disadvantaged backgrounds and/or (d) are women.
Evidence here at the University has corroborated the importance of underrepresented groups in fostering scientific innovation, improving learning environments and helping to increase health research to support underserved and health disparity populations. As such, several approaches to support recruitment and retention of trainees are utilized, including, but not limited to, (a) offering various mechanisms of graduate and postdoctoral fellowships and funding support for UR candidates, (b) supporting relocation costs to aid those that are from socioeconomic or other disadvantaged backgrounds, (c) establishing peer-to-peer-mentoring support to ease transition to the University for UR and/or first-generation students, and (d) partnering with various support societies and centers, such as Empowering Women in Science, BIPOC Scholars Network and the University's Disability Resource Center.
Recent graduate of the MPaT Program | 2023
Graduate student engaged in research in the laboratory of M. Pravetoni, 2022
Recent Postdoc, now a Research Scientist, and a faculty member from CFI discussing science at Research Week
Faculty, postdocs, students and staff members within the Pharmacology Departments and Molecular Therapeutic and Pharmacology Training Program
Associate Dean Kris Hogquist, Postdocs and Graduate Students
Drs. Yoji Shimizu and Jon Gottesman with a student during a recruitment event
Above bar graph figure shows total pre-doctoral/PhD graduate students within the Medical School each year over the last five years. Data collected and prepared by the University of Minnesota's Institutional Data and Research Office.
Recruitment and Retention of Trainees
Extensive outreach efforts have been established to engage in best recruitment practices for our diverse and talented learners. This is through sustained partnerships with both midwest regional colleges and minority serving institutions (MSI) (i.e FIU and University of Puerto Rico campuses at Cayey, Mayaguez, Ponce, and Rio Piedras), development of pipeline pathways through partnerships with several NIGMS R25 and T34 undergraduate programs across the nation, active participation in regional and national recruitment fairs, attendance at major research conferences (i.e. AAI, ABRCMS, ABBMB, AISES, ASM, ASPET, NCUR, and SACNAS, among others) and on-campus and virtual recruitment fairs. Importantly, the GPS Office yearly taps Medical School faculty, postdoc and graduate students to actively engage in these recruitment efforts to bolster our initiatives and outcomes. These approaches provide a forum for faculty and trainees to discuss current research activities with recruits, thereby allowing us to well-present the unique offerings that set our programs apart from others.