Evaluation of a Medical Student Research and Career Development Program to Increase Diversity in Academic Medicine

Purpose: To describe and evaluate an innovative research program supported by the National Institutes of Health, "Promoting Research Opportunities Fully-Prospective Academics Transforming Health" (PROF-PATH), designed to support medical students from groups underrepresented-in-medicine (URM) interested in pursuing academic careers.

Method: Based on social cognitive career theory (SCCT), PROF-PATH supplemented a traditional research program (TRP) by providing additional mentorship and a curriculum focused on "assumed knowledge" of academic culture, guidance with research challenges, and emotional competence. The four-year evaluation (2013-2016) consisted of pre- and postprogram surveys of PROF-PATH and TRP students, plus focus groups and individual structured interviews with PROF-PATH students. Survey questions queried students' self-confidence in research- and career-related skills and abilities. The authors mapped themes elicited in focus groups and interviews onto SCCT domains.

Results: Of 454 medical students, 343 (75.6%) completed the surveys. According to preprogram surveys, PROF-PATH students (n = 85) were less confident in their ability to find or manage mentor relationships than TRP students (n = 258) and less likely to report having a mentor who provided strong support for their research interests. At program's end, PROF-PATH students showed greater increases in confidence than TRP students in multiple ability domains. Qualitative analysis of themes indicated that PROF-PATH influenced students through seven SCCT domains and increased student academic career self-efficacy.

Conclusions: An innovative program for URM medical students participating in mentored research was successful in supporting academic career interest and academic self-efficacy. Schools motivated to increase diversity in academic medicine should consider adapting PROF-PATH.