National Institute of
General Medical Sciences

Through a variety of programs, NRMN is developing a national network of mentors and mentees from all biomedical disciplines relevant to the NIH mission. These provide mentorship, professional development, mentor/mentee training and networking opportunities to individuals from the undergraduate to early career faculty levels. NRMN established a nationwide resource composed of five regional hubs that provide support for mentors and mentees in both urban and rural settings. The regions are: Northeast/Mid-Atlantic/Islands, Southeast/Deep South, Midwest, South and West/Great Plains.

NRMN's programming includes an active schedule of online webinars, mentor training sessions, professional networking opportunities and seminars. Visit the NRMN website to look for upcoming events, and follow them on social media @NRMNet.

NRMN Phase II will begin in fall of 2019. This new cycle of the NRMN initiative will continue to develop mentoring and networking opportunities for biomedical researchers from diverse backgrounds, from undergraduates through early career faculty. To broaden the number of innovative strategies explored and increase the likelihood of impact, sustainability, and dissemination, NRMN Phase II will be organized as a consortium of independent research projects, a Resource Center, and a Coordination Center.

Up to 15 awards will be issued for the independent research projects (RFA-RM-18-004). These projects will explore three primary areas of interventions intended to enhance mentoring and networking: The science of mentorship; professional networks; and, navigation of critical transition points.

The NRMN Coordination Center (RFA-RM-18-003) and the NRMN Resource Center (RFA-RM-18-002) will work with the independent research projects to enhance dissemination and to promote synergies to provide evidence and resources for effective mentoring. The NRMN Coordination Center will coordinate data collection and storage with the Coordination and Evaluation Center at UCLA (CEC), and build upon and improve instruments and processes developed in the first funding period. The NRMN research is expected to align with the hallmarks of success that were defined by the Diversity Program Consortium during Phase I.

In FY 2014, one NRMN award was issued, which includes five core partner institutions:

• Administrative Core (Boston College): Manages the organizational and committee structures of NRMN to ensure growth, sustainability and the success of the objectives set forth by the Diversity Program Consortium. The Administrative Core also performs primary grants management for NRMN.
• Mentorship and Networking Core (Jamboor Vishwanatha, University of North Texas Health Science Center): Develops an in-person and online network of mentors and mentees to increase the number of scientists from diverse backgrounds in biomedical, behavioral, clinical and social science research careers. This core oversees the development and management of the website as an online resource for mentorship, networking and professional development. To work toward these goals, NRMN has developed MyNRMN, a guided virtual mentorships program, and career development webinars.
• Mentor Training Core (Christine Pfund, University of Wisconsin-Madison): Serves as a national hub to prepare mentors and mentees in biomedical research through training, both in-person and online. This core establishes and maintains standards and metrics to achieve effective, culturally responsive mentoring relationships.
  It holds face-to-face and synchronous and asynchronous online training courses for mentors and mentees across the country as well as train-the-trainer workshops.
• Professional Development Core (Kolawole Okuyemi, University of Utah, School of Medicine): Addresses the unmet need for more diversity in the biomedical research workforce by creating and nationally disseminating transformative, high impact professional development programs to support mentees from diverse backgrounds.
• Research Resources and Outreach Core (Elizabeth Ofili, Morehouse School of Medicine): Leverages the existing research infrastructure of the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program and engages the leadership of RCMI and partnering Clinical and Translational Science Awards to sustain interest from scholars and cultivate master trainers.

To accomplish the national scope of this initiative, NRMN actively collaborates with over 100 scientific and professional society partners, health-serving organizations and organizations that support students underrepresented in biomedical science. Learn more about NRMN's partners.

To enhance the scope and reach of the NRMN network, seven supplement awards and five pilot project awards were awarded from the Administrative Core in 2015.

For more information about NRMN Phase 1, see the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, December 19, 2013 (RFA-RM-13-017), or contact Dr. Michael Sesma.

National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) Cores, Supplements and Pilot Awards