Recruitment and Retention Plan to Enhance Diversity
THIS LANGUAGE IS INTENDED TO SERVE AS A GUIDANCE/SUMMARY OF THE DIVERSITY EFFORTS AT THE UNIVERSITY
LEVEL. IT IS NOT MANDATORY TO USE THIS LANGUAGE IN YOUR GRANT APPLICATION. YOU MAY SELECT THE
APPROPRIATE ACTIVITIES AND/OR CUSTOMIZE AS YOU SEE FIT FOR YOUR SPECIFIC TRAINING PROGRAM.
History and Achievements
[FOA: History and Achievements. Describe efforts to recruit trainees from Diversity groups A, B, and C into the exiting
training program. For competing continuation/renewal applications, also describe past efforts to recruit and retain
underrepresented minority Students into training grant funded positions. Refer to the data presented in Table 1 and Table
6A and Table 6B that provided statistics on applications and admission of these groups in comparison to the overall
trainee pool.].
Institutional Achievements: Recognizing that a diverse and inclusive environment is essential for achieving
success in teaching, research, patient care and service, Washington University (WU) strives to be a global
leader when it comes to diversity and inclusion. To this end, in 2015 a Diversity & Inclusion Steering
Committee was formed to enrich existing programs and policies and develop strategies for the University to
become more inclusive, diverse and welcoming. The full report can be found here:
http://diversity.wustl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Diversity-Inclusion-Report-201511.pdf.
The School of Medicine has several offices that coordinate and facilitate recruitment and retention of a diverse
population. These offices include: The Office of Diversity Programs (ODP), led by Dr. Will Ross and Lisa
Stevenson; the Office of Faculty Affairs (OFA), led by Dr. Diana Gray, the Division of Biology and Biomedical
Sciences (DBBS) Office of Diversity, led by Rochelle Smith, and the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA), run
by Dr. John Russell and Mary Bradley. The efforts of these offices, described in greater detail below, have had
a tremendous effect on underrepresented minority (URM) enrollment. As of 2015, Washington University’s
Medical School has 16% underrepresented ethnic minority students, a 6% increase over previous
years, and a number we hope to grow on in coming years.
WU also promotes a supportive and inclusive environment. Throughout the year, the ODP supports a culturally
aware and inclusive campus culture through programs such as annual lectures, networking and service
learning opportunities for students, and the incorporation of diversity topics throughout the medical school
curriculum. The ODP also provides scholarships and access to other resource networks such as the
Washington University Student National Medical Association (SNMA) chapter, and the Latino Medical Student
Association (LMSA), and the Washington University Minority Medical Association (WUMMA), organizations
that support under represented students in medicine. The WUMMA, an association of residents and
fellows of diverse backgrounds, has seen a 35% increase in the number of underrepresented minority
residents and fellows at the medical center since its inception in 2005.
Diversity amongst faculty is equally important to our training programs. A diverse faculty can provide students
with different points of views, ways of thinking and role models. Working with the OFA, the ODP supports a
culturally diverse academic workforce, through the recruitment of faculty from underrepresented populations.
The Faculty Diversity Scholars Program provides economic incentives to departments and programs which
successfully hire and retain faculty of racial and ethnic backgrounds that have been traditionally
underrepresented in medicine and science. Since its inception, 26 faculty scholars have been recruited through
this program.
Program Results: (Renewal Applications)
[FOA: For renewal applications, complete Table 10 Admissions and Completion Records for Underrepresented Minority
(URM), Trainees with Disabilities, and Trainees from Disadvantaged Backgrounds clearly associated with the Training
Program. New applicants may provide this data if they wish; however, it is not required of new applicants. Use this data to
document the success of the program in recruiting and retaining trainees who are under-represented minorities, provide
analysis of their support, and begin to establish a record of NIH training of other Diversity Recruitment groups.]
Recruiting Activities:
Predoctoral Trainees
The DBBS Office of Diversity promotes recruitment and retention of students from backgrounds
underrepresented in the sciences. DBBS houses over 650 students training in the PhD (17% URM) and
MD/PhD (15% URM) programs. Over 450 faculty members are members of DBBS’s 12 PhD training programs
[add any faculty mentors on your training grant].
[For the X Training Program], last year [X] students enrolled in our programs and of those, [X%] were URMs
(Table 6A). [Use data from Table 6A to complete this section]. To avoid duplication of effort, the [X Training
Program] coordinates our recruiting activities across the University. The strong recruiting record for our training
program has benefited from institutional outreach activities, participation in national recruiting networks, and a
strong institutional commitment to increasing the diversity pipeline.
The institution’s broad-based support for diversity is embodied in several outreach programs for the
recruitment of predoctoral students: [Pick initiatives from the list below that are most relevant to your
training program].
The Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) seeks to increase the number of students from
underrepresented groups who complete their PhD degrees in the biomedical sciences and enter careers in
related fields. The IMSD provides a community for its scholars, a competitive stipend, travel awards to
conferences and an environment for open exchange with program staff, faculty and fellow students. In its third
year, the IMSD has already achieved many successes. This program began in 2013 and is the first NIH funded
program in DBBS dedicated to the training of underrepresented students. [Enter any specific involvement or
results of your mentors/trainees with these programs here.]
BioMedical Research Apprenticeship Program (BioMedRAP) and Amgen Scholars Program are both 10-week
summer mentored research programs for undergraduate students from underrepresented groups interested in
pursuing PhD and MD/PhD programs in the biomedical sciences. Scholars conduct independent research,
participate in lab meetings and attend scientific seminars, journal clubs and workshops offered throughout the
summer. The curriculum for both programs includes career counseling, training in lab safety, research ethics,
presentation skills, and preparation for GRE or MCAT testing. The course concludes with a symposium, poster
session and awards ceremony. These programs typically have ~730 applications for both programs and accept
~35-40 students. Of 166 trainees who have completed BioMedRAP since it’s initiation in 2002, ~88%
have pursued graduate and/or medical school training. [Enter any specific involvement or results of your
mentors/trainees with these programs here.]
The Young Scientist Program (YSP) provides high school students from underrepresented groups with
sustained hands-on research experiences throughout the year to encourage careers in science. The YSP is
run by PhD, MD and MD/PhD students and postdoctoral volunteers, who serve as mentors for students
recruited from St. Louis City public schools. YSP also provides 8-week summer research internships for high
school teachers to facilitate science teaching. Participants in the YSP are 8 times more likely to graduate
from high school and go on to a four-year college than their peers. The program reaches hundreds of
students each year, and many WU faculty have had YSP students or teachers in their laboratories. [Enter any
specific involvement or results of your mentors/trainees with these programs here.]
The Blueprint Program for Enhancing Neuroscience Diversity through Undergraduate Research Education
Experiences (BP-ENDURE): WU was one of three programs awarded this grant for the 2015 cycle. The BPENDURE program is designed to encourage and prepare undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds to
enter into and succeed in PhD programs in the neurosciences. Participants engage in an independent
research project under the mentorship of faculty at WU, while also working with outstanding faculty mentors at
their home institutions. As of summer 2015, the first year of the program, ten students have started the
program. [Enter any specific involvement or results of your mentors/trainees with these programs here.]
Junior Science Institute: The Junior Scientist Institute is a one-day training initiative for 6-8th graders who are
highly interested in the sciences but have little or no experience working in a laboratory environment. This
initiative is under the leadership of the Association of Black Biomedical Graduate Students (ABBGS) and the
Graduate Association of Latin American Students (GALAS) and convenes annually. Participants shadow a
graduate student mentor in lab as they are introduced to the exciting possibilities of research. [Enter any
specific involvement or results of your mentors/trainees with these programs here.]
The McDonnell Genome Institute’s Opportunities in Genomics Research program provides research
experiences for underrepresented minority students through 8-week summer programs for undergraduates; or
yearlong programs for recent college graduates. [Enter any specific involvement or results of your
mentors/trainees with these programs here.]
Programs to Increase Diversity Among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research (PRIDE) was
established with funding from NHLBI, to provide junior scientists, whose backgrounds are currently
underrepresented in biomedical research, with opportunities to gain the knowledge and tools they need to
carry out independent research and advance their careers. WU houses the Cardiovascular Genetic
Epidemiology (CGE) Core, and hosts a 3-week Summer Institute designed to provide mentees with a working
knowledge and appreciation for genetic epidemiology and bioinformatics methods, and to integrate these skills
with their substantive research interests in CVD and HLBS problems. [Enter any specific involvement or results
of your mentors/trainees with these programs here.]
Washington University also strives to increase diversity through the following national networks:
The National Name Exchange Program (NNEP) is a consortium of thirty prominent universities that help match
graduate schools with minority students interested in graduate education. In 2014, the NNEP identified over
6,600 racial or ethnic minority students; WU identified 134 from its own student body. Like other participants,
WU follows the “name exchange” with targeted emails and other mailings to potential minority applicants with
information about our graduate training programs, financial assistance, and sample application packets.
In 2010, WU joined The Leadership Alliance, a consortium of 34 institutions of higher learning, including
leading research and teaching college and universities. The mission of the Leadership Alliance is to develop
URM students into outstanding leaders and role models in academia, business and the public sector. WU
participates in their annual Research Symposium and interacts with hundreds of students from minority
backgrounds seeking careers in the sciences. Every year the Office of the Provost hosts a summer program
for 4-8 students from the Leadership Alliance. Of the 9 students who have participated in the Leadership
Alliance at WU who have received their undergraduate degree, 4 are pursuing doctoral degrees (44%).
Additional recruitment strategies include:
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Increased Faculty Participation at National Meetings: Program faculty annually attends three
conferences which target the advancement of URM students in science careers. [Enter any specific
involvement or results of your mentors/trainees with these programs here.]
Speakers Bureau: The Speakers Bureau was created to establish and maintain productive
relationships with institutions by sending faculty to targeted undergraduate institutions to present basic
science or clinical seminars. [Enter any specific involvement or results of your mentors/trainees with
these programs here.]
The Second Look: The Diversity Revisit provides accepted URM, low-income and disabled PhD
applicants an expenses-paid opportunity to revisit WU and learn more about our resources, faculty and
students in a more relaxed atmosphere. More than 65% of revisit attendees select WU for graduate
training.
The Washington University Diversity Stem Consortium: This Consortium works across all Schools
to strengthen the University’s pipeline efforts to recruit, retain and support individuals from
underrepresented backgrounds in science and research related fields. Representatives meet on a biannual basis to share best practices and assist each other with the challenges of recruiting and
retaining students from underrepresented backgrounds.
Increasing the Disability Pipeline: Include colleges and universities among recruitment
targets that specialize in the education of students with learning disabilities, such as
Landmark College and Gallaudet University.
Postdoctoral Trainees
At the institutional level, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) recruits trainees at the annual Institute on
Teaching and Mentoring sponsored by the Compact for Faculty Diversity. The Compact is a partnership of
regional, federal and foundation programs that focus on minority graduate education and faculty diversity. This
annual Institute brings together over 900 scholars, mostly African-American, with the purpose of providing the
scholars with the skills necessary to succeed in graduate study and to prepare them for success as faculty
members at colleges and universities. OPA also sends materials to SACNAS and ABRCMS with the DBBS
graduate student recruiters who attend.
To support and complement individual faculty recruiting efforts, the OPA maintains several recruiting initiatives.
OPA has established a Jobs Board within the DBBS Website for WU faculty to advertise their postdoctoral
positions. Additionally, OPA coordinates with Human Resources on a Research Prospects Database where
postdocs seeking positions can post their information and upload CVs for WU faculty to review.
Because PhD trainees from around the world apply directly to laboratories, specific target groups for
recruitment efforts can be difficult to identify. Therefore we focus on providing an environment that is
welcoming and attractive to postdoctoral fellows from diverse groups. OPA supports those from groups
underrepresented in the sciences by providing financial and logistical support for the Diversity Postdoc
Association (DPA) whose members include both minority postdocs and postdocs committed to diversity in
science. Additionally, OPA works with the St. Louis chapter of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS)
and coordinates with other on-campus groups.
[Talk about recruitment of postdocs for your specific training program here. Last year X postdocs entered the
program and X% were URMs (Table 6B. List any potential recruitment challenges.]
Retention Activities:
The successful recruitment of a diverse faculty, student, and postdoc population means nothing without
programs and resources in place to keep this talent at the University. One of the most effective retention
strategies has been to maintain regular contact and mentoring of current minority students. This contact can be
via email, informal conversations, or more formal meetings. In addition, the following resources are available to
faculty and students:
Student Organizations: WUSM is also houses five student groups that focus on building a diverse and
inclusive environment:
 The Graduate Association of Latin American Students (GALAS)
 The Association of Black Biomedical Graduate Students (ABBGS)
 Connections
 Washington University Student National Medical Association (SNMA)
 Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA)
ABBGS and GALAS welcome all members of the WU community to heighten cultural awareness on campus
and to support active recruitment and retention of a culturally diverse student body. Connections facilitates
inclusion through three avenues: educational experiences; guided discussions; and social events. Students in
Connections explore their identities with respect to socioeconomics, culture, religion, sexual orientation and
race, and learn how these identities impact their personal and professional relationships in the WU community.
The Washington University Student National Medical Association (SNMA) and the Latino Medical Student
Association (LMSA) seek to promote an environment in which minority medical students can excel, to increase
social consciousness within the medical community, and to improve health care delivery to the medically
underserved.
[Enter any specific involvement or results of your mentors/trainees with these programs here.]
Diversity & Inclusion Educational Pathway: WU provides a series of diversity and inclusion trainings that
consist of four one-hour sessions for faculty and staff. Each session is designed to provide a greater
understanding of what diversity means, how to define it, what aspects of diversity affect us and how it
manifests in our day-to-day thoughts and actions, how to recognize it, and how to mitigate it. The ultimate goal
is to use education, personal experiences, and highly interactive exercises to shift the WUSM culture from a
place of passive awareness to a place of active allyship where everyone takes ownership for facilitating a
warm, welcoming and supportive environment for people of all backgrounds. [Enter any specific involvement of
your mentors/trainees with this training here. You can contact Daniel Blash at: to see if any of your mentors or
trainees have participated in these trainings.]
Diversity and Inclusion Grants: The Office of the Provost began funding the Diversity and Inclusion Grant
program in 2009 with the goal of encouraging university faculty and staff to improve the university environment
for women and members of underrepresented minority groups. Over the past 5 years, the program awarded
almost $850,000 in grant money to faculty and staff for 47 projects including a summer training program for
medical students from the historically black Meharry Medical College and an effort to increase diversity in IT
through and internship program, among others. [Enter any specific involvement or results of your
mentors/trainees with these programs here.]
Proposed Plans
[FOA: Describe steps to be taken during the proposed award period regarding the identification, recruitment and retention
of graduate students and postdoctorates from underrepresented groups. Consider the success and/or failures of
recruitment strategies used in the past. In particular, describe the specific effort to be undertaken by the training program
and how these might relate to the recruitment efforts of the medical school, graduate school, and/or the university at large.
In most cases, institutional efforts alone will not satisfy the requirement to recruit individuals underrepresented
groups.]
As described above, Washington University commits substantial efforts to recruit, retain, mentor and develop
the careers of individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and from disadvantaged
backgrounds. Our program:
[Possible suggestions:
 Recruitment at conferences, mentoring local students, working with corporations to provide financial
support, etc.
 Work with TRIO Program Coordinators at Washington University, with local high schools and with
colleges throughout the country to identify students who are documented by student financial services
as having family income below the acceptable levels based on government guidelines. The Federal
TRIO Programs (TRIO) are Federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and
provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds to progress through the academic
pipeline from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs. (source:
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/index.html)
 Continue to provide resources and competitive stipends to all students from economically challenging
backgrounds to minimize financial concerns
 Collaborate with the Washington University Assistant Director of Disability Resource Office to distribute
application information to students who receive accommodations for learning or physical disabilities.]
If you have any questions or wish to participate in any of these programs, please refer to the following
contact table:
Program
Faculty Diversity Scholars Program
The Initiative for Maximizing Student
Development (IMSD)
BioMedical Research Apprenticeship
Program (BioMedRAP)
Amgen Scholars Program
The Young Scientist Program (YSP)
Blueprint Program for Enhancing
Neuroscience Diversity through
Undergraduate Research Education
Experiences (BP-ENDURE)
Department
Office of Faculty Affairs
DBBS; Office of
Diversity
DBBS; Office of
Diversity
DBBS; Office of
Diversity
DBBS; Office of
Diversity
DBBS; Office of
Diversity
Contact
Kim Vaninger
Rochelle Smith
Rochelle Smith
email
vaningek@wusm.wustl.edu
smithr@wusm.wustl.edu
imsd-staff@genome.wustl.edu
smithr@wusm.wustl.edu
Rochelle Smith
smithr@wusm.wustl.edu
Rochelle Smith
smithr@wusm.wustl.edu
Rochelle Smith
smithr@wusm.wustl.edu
Junior Science Institute
Opportunities in Genomics Research
Programs to Increase Diversity Among
Individuals Engaged in Health-Related
Research (PRIDE)
The National Name Exchange Program
(NNEP)
The Leadership Alliance
The Washington University Diversity
Stem Consortium
Diversity Postdoc Association
The Graduate Association of Latin
American Students (GALAS)
The Association of Black Biomedical
Graduate Students (ABBGS)
Connections
Washington University Student National
Medical Association
Washington University Latino Student
Medical Association
Washington University Minority Medical
Association
Diversity and Inclusion Grants
Diversity & Inclusion Educational
Pathway
TRIO Program Coordinators
Washington University Assistant Director
of Disability Resource Office
Disability Recruitment
DBBS; Office of
Diversity
The Genome Institute
Rochelle Smith
smithr@wusm.wustl.edu
Cherilynn
Shadding
Linda Schreier
cshadding@wustl.edu
DBBS; Office of
Diversity
DBBS; Office of
Diversity
DBBS; Office of
Diversity
Office of Postdoctoral
Affairs
DBBS; Office of
Diversity
DBBS; Office of
Diversity
DBBS; Office of
Diversity
Office of Diversity
Programs
Office of Diversity
Programs
Office of Diversity
Programs
Office of the Provost
Human Resources
Rochelle Smith
smithr@wusm.wustl.edu
Rochelle Smith
smithr@wusm.wustl.edu
Rochelle Smith
smithr@wusm.wustl.edu
Mary Bradley
bradleym@wusm.wustl.edu
Rochelle Smith
smithr@wusm.wustl.edu
Rochelle Smith
smithr@wusm.wustl.edu
Rochelle Smith
smithr@wusm.wustl.edu
Will Ross
rossw@wusm.wustl.edu
Will Ross
rossw@wusm.wustl.edu
Will Ross
rossw@wusm.wustl.edu
Adrienne Davis
Daniel Blash
adriennedavis@wustl.edu
blashd@wustl.edu
Center for Advanced
Learning
Center for Advanced
Learning
Human Resources
Ashley Gilkey
ashley.gilkey@wustl.edu.
Christine
Street
Mary Ferguson
christine_street@wustl.edu
Biostatistics
pride-ge@wubios.wustl.edu
fergusonm@wustl.edu