PREP Program

PREP Program Brochure & Application 2011  

   PREP Newsletter
         Volume 1 Issue 1
         Volume 1 Issue 2

   PREP 2010 Symposium

We are pleased to offer the WFUSM Post-baccalaureate Research Education (PREP) Scholars opportunity funded by the NIGMS and created in August of 2001 to provide 1-2 years of research, coursework and GRE preparation to students under-represented in seeking the PhD for careers in research in the biomedical sciences.  The program received renewal funding in March 2009 for 9 positions.  The program is primarily to provide intensive research experiences, but is also designed to enhance acceptance into graduate programs by providing a chance to remedy academic deficiencies and to provide assistance with the GRE.  Students must be less than 3 years post-bachelors degree and interested in obtaining a Ph.D. in the biomedical sciences.  The positions are funded at a salary of $21,000 from the grant and the grant also provides for tuition for ~2 undergraduate or graduate level courses per year.  Trainees accepted into the program select research mentors from a wide range of topic areas for their research intensive experience. There are journal clubs and other enrichment activities provided throughout the year.

We welcome our 2009-2010 Scholars and the newsletter (http://www.wfubmc.edu/School/Hypertension-and-Vascular-Research-Center/PREP-Program.htm) provides a bit of background on each of trainees and highlights of their research activities since joining the program in July of 2009. A summary of the outcomes from the previous years of the program is provided below.

Summary of PREP outcomes from 2001-present:

Thirty-six trainees participated in the program between 2001 and the present, and nine additional trainees started the program in July 2009. Thirty-one of the 36 participants entered graduate programs (21 PhD, 10 masters).   Another 8 entered professional schools either directly or after obtaining their PhD.  Fifteen students were offered positions and eleven entered programs at WFUSM (8 PhD, 1 MD and 2 Master’s), ten entered PhD programs elsewhere.  To summarize the success, 21 trainees entered PhD graduate programs with an 87% retention rate, 8 entered professional schools, 2 are technicians and 4 are teaching math or science.  The majority of these participants were African American (78%). Eleven students have already completed the PhD (7 from WFUSM), 8 have completed the Master’s, and 2 have obtained their teaching certificates. 

NIGMS Bridges to the Doctorate or PREP Programs

To aid students who will be applying to graduate schools as candidates for the Ph.D. degree or the combined M.D.-Ph.D. degree, we would like to direct you to a listing of the predoctoral research training grants on the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) Web site at http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Training/InstGrantLists.htm. NIGMS supports graduate research training in 12 areas relevant to the mission of NIGMS:

1.      Behavioral-Biomedical Sciences Interface
2.       Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
3.       Biostatistics
4.       Biotechnology
5.       Cellular, Biochemical, and Molecular Sciences
6.       Chemistry-Biology Interface
7.       Genetics
8.       Molecular Biophysics
9.       Molecular Medicine
10.     Pharmacological Sciences
11.     Systems and Integrative Biology
12.     Medical Scientist (M.D.-Ph.D.) Training Program

These NIGMS-funded programs are regarded as among the strongest in the country. They can provide students with an excellent research training experience. The Web page for each listed program provides the name and contact information of the program director of each predoctoral research training grant. The postbaccalaureate trainees, master's degree students, and their faculty advisors should feel free to contact any of these individuals.