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SUMMARY OF ISSUES AND SUGGESTIONS FROM SPEAKERS 9 In addition to issues of recruiting and retaining ethnic and racial minorities, there are similar issues involving lesbian and gay people. Many lesbian and gay scientists choose not to disclose their orientation for fear of harassment, limited choice of employment location, or dismissal. Others choose not to focus on lesbian and gay issues in their research for fear their careers may suffer. Suggestions from Speakers A number of suggestions were offered for increasing the participation of minority group members through the NRSA program. Outreach ⢠Target specific numbers of NRSA awards for early intervention programs for minority groups. ⢠Train NRSA program directors to be more effective in minority outreach efforts. ⢠Require (and fund) the principal investigator of each institutional NRSA to attend one meeting during every five-year cycle specifically to recruit minority medical students or house staff into research careers. ⢠Promote the MSTP program to minority undergraduates as a way of solving two problems at one time: minority students could attain their medical degrees and would also be trained to do research. The MSTP program could also be promoted to minority students after they have entered medical school, and this would be an especially promising way to capture them for careers in research. Financial ⢠Set aside a fixed percentage of training funds for minority students to encourage appointment to NRSA programs. ⢠Share the funding load with other federal funding agencies or federally funded university training programs. ⢠Increase flexibility of incentives for principal investigators to hire minority graduate and undergraduate students. Early Research ⢠Expose undergraduates to research early in their educational experience through creative course work and independent study. Encourage such experience by providing small grants or NRSA awards for undergraduate research. ⢠Provide well-paid summer research fellowships for undergraduates that include salary, traveling expenses, and a small stipend. Expanding Programs ⢠Encourage, support, and expand successful programs, e.g., MARC Program, which has proven to be highly effective in drawing talented minority students into careers in biomedical research. ⢠Expand programs such as special grants for minority students. Organizational Linkages ⢠Develop linkages between minority institutions, organizations, and research intensive institutions. ⢠Link training with the private sector, e.g., an NRSA minority intern program. Administration ⢠NIH institutes should rigorously review summaries of minority recruitment and retention, and enforce requirements under NRSA provisions. ⢠Evaluate programs such as the MARC and Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS). ⢠Use innovative training programs that
