Graduate Certificate – Implementation Request

  1. Certificate Name and CIP Code
  2. Indicate the title and level of the certificate (e.g., Medical Anthropology Graduate Certificate or Medical Anthropology Post-Master’s Certificate).

PREP – Introduction to Biomedical Research

  1. Indicate the six-digit CIP Code for the proposed certificate. Select an appropriate CIP Code for the certificate from National Center for Education Statistics web site (nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode)or contact Pam Coonan,, 520-621-0950 for assistance in selecting a CIP Code.
  1. Requested by - managing department, college, and oversight committee membership

Margaret Briehl, Professor, Pathology, College of Medicine

  1. Program Affiliation – specify whether the UA offers an affiliated graduate program – the affiliated program may or may not have the same name as the proposed certificate.

UA PREP certificate students may choose to enter PhD programs in the biomedical fields at UA, but UA PREP is not associated with any one specific graduate program

  1. Certificate Description and Purpose

The proposed PREP certificate will be awarded to students participating in the NIH funded PREP program at UA. UA PREP is designed to aid Indigenous students in preparing for the challenges they might face while pursuing PhD degrees in biomedical and behavioral sciences. Our hypothesis is that nurturing overall well-being and honoring Indigenous science knowledge while providing American Indian/Alaskan Native students with a doctoral-level research experience will provide the best foundation for success in graduate school.

  1. Certificate Requirements
  2. List the certificate requirements, including number of credit hours required and any special requirements for completion. Certificate requirements should include sufficient units to provide a substantive program and an appropriate level of academic rigor and in no case be less than 9 units of credit.

Students will take a minimum of 13 units of course work (listed below), attend mentoring workshops, and participate in guided research and professional development opportunities provided by the UA PREP program. The program specifies that 75% of the participants’ efforts is devoted to mentored research and 25% is devoted to coursework and professional development activities.

  1. List current and new courses needed to meet certificate requirements, including course prefix/number, title and number of units. New courses should be designated as such and include a proposed prefix/number, title, catalog description and number of units. No less than 50% of the course work applied to a certificate must be taken for a regular letter grade.

Minimum of 4 units of research (from the courses below):

AIS 793 Internship (1-6), AIS 900 Research (3) or AIS 694 Practicum,

AIS 697 C Research Design for American Indian Communities (3)

Min of 9 units of biomedical study (from courses below):

PATH 515 – Mechanisms of Human Diseases (4)

BIOS 576A – Biostatistics in Public Health (3)

MCB 595 E – Topics in Research (2)

UA PREP students will be integrated into two programs developed by Dr. Solomon: Arizona Indians into Medicine (AZ INMED) and the American Indian Research Centers for Health (AIRCH). The goal of AZ INMED is to increase the number of AI/AN health professionals serving Indian communities by encouraging students to enter health professions. Program activities include recruiting at K-12 schools and tribal community colleges, disseminating information about healthcare programs and training opportunities through listservs and social media, and providing tutoring, counseling, and support for AI/AN students.

  1. Will students be allowed to substitute required and/or elective courses at the advisor’s discretion? (The standard substitution allowance is up to 25% of the total required units without Graduate College approval.)

Yes, up to 6 units with program advisor approval in the rare case that a student may have taken some of required courses.

  1. Indicate which courses will be offered on-campus and those offered off-campus, as well as the method of delivery.

BIOS 576A – Biostatistics in Public Health (3) may be taken as an iCourse

  1. If courses will be offered online, how will you protect academic integrity?

The instructor will be charged with that responsibility. Program mentors will advise students on matters of academic integrity.

  1. If the certificate is to be offered fully online, have you met with Vincent Del Casino and the UA Online team to confirm pricing and other operations?

NA

Note: Future changes to the curriculum originally approved for the certificate must be approved by the Graduate College and Curricular Affairs Office.

  1. Student Admittance/Advising/Completion – completion of a bachelor’s degree is required for admission to a graduate certificate. Completion of a Master’s degree or current enrollment in a graduate level program is required for admission to a Post-Master’s certificate.
  2. List any prerequisites or standardized tests required for admission.
  3. Must be a US citizen
  4. Open to American Indian/Alaskan Native students
  5. Must have graduated or be in the process of graduating with a baccalaureate degree in a biomedically relevant science from an accredited US college or university (no more than 36 months prior to applying to UA PREP)
  6. Must not be currently enrolled in a graduate degree program
  7. Must plan to enter a Ph.D program in a biomedical field after successful completion of UA PREP
  8. Application details:
  9. Applicant’s background information, academic history, two essays, unofficial transcript(s) (if accepted, official will be required), copy of GRE scores (if taken), CV/resume, and three letters of references.
  10. Indicate if concurrent enrollment in a degree program is allowed or required.

Not permitted

  1. Can students be enrolled full-time (9 units) in the certificate in their first semester? What is the standard length of time to finish the certificate if students are enrolled full-time the first semester?

One year

  1. Indicate the maximum number of transfer units (courses taken at institutions other than the UA) that may be applied to the certificate, keeping in mind that no more than 6 units of transfer credit may apply to a graduate certificate.

none

  1. What provisions are included for student advising?

UA PREP is built on the concept of nurturing student development. In addition to the faculty leading the program, Drs. Margaret Briehl and Teshia Solomon, the faculty members who are guiding the mentored research projects will serve as advisors for the program participants. UA PREP will also be guided by an Internal Advisory Committee consisting of UA leaders, faculty and staff members who are committed to the academic success of American Indian/Alaskan Native students.

Student-focused support services at the UA include the Graduate Center, Career Resources, and a campus recreation center. The Graduate Center, which opened in the fall of 2014, offers programs aimed at enhancing students’ leadership and networking skills. One of the Graduate Center’s goals is to help students pursue more collaborative and interdisciplinary research projects. The major focus of the Career Resources unit is to assist students in landing a career position after graduation by providing individual counseling and workshops on career topics that include resume writing and interviewing skills. Proposed UA PREP activities include professional development opportunities offered through the Graduate Center and Career Resources (see Table 8, section A3-6). Finally, the campus recreation center offers exemplary facilities, programs, and services that support an active and healthy lifestyle. The UA PREP participants will be encouraged to use the campus recreation center for their overall well-being.

The effective education and training of UA students is supported through the STEM Learning Center, which is a campus-wide initiative for faculty members, instructional personnel (including teaching assistants), and researchers. The STEM Learning Center offers instructional design support to the University’s STEM community through: 1) data-driven strategies that support persistence for students in STEM degrees, including URM students, first-generation students, students from low-income/high-need backgrounds, and students with disabilities, and 2) the assessment and evaluation of programs and courses. As described in Section G, we propose to engage support from the STEM Learning Center for the UA PREP program evaluation.

  1. If there are affiliated graduate programs (refer to section III above), may the units earned for the certificate be applied to the degree program? If so, how many?

Yes, up to 6 towards a Ph.D. or MS in a biomedical field

  1. May a student use any units taken in Graduate non-degree status (GNDS)? If so, how many? (Per policy, 6 maximum may be used.)

Yes, up to 6

  1. Certificate and Student Outcomes – provide a plan and frequency for assessing the intended certificate outcomes both for students and the certificate.
  2. Student Learning Outcomes – describe what students should know, understand, and/or be able to do after completing the coursework for this certificate.
  1. Students will understand the importance of conducting research in a culturally competent manner. This will be reinforced through the research courses offered through AIS.
  2. Students will have a general understanding of mechanisms underlying human disease and will know how to apply statistics in their research endeavors. This knowledge will be gained through the biomedical coursework:Mechanisms of Human Diseases (PATH 515) andBiostatistics in Public Health (BIOS 576A).
  3. Students should know how scientific research is conducted and understand the process for developing an approach to answering important questions in the health field. These skills will be developed through the mentored research component of UA PREP.
  4. Students will be able to use strategies for success in competitive PhD programs, including effective oral and written communication, time management and getting the most from mentoring relationships. This will be achieved through the Topics in Research (MCB 595E) course.
  5. Certificate Outcomes – identify factors that indicate that completion of the certificate leads to gainful employment and/or advancement opportunities.

The percentage of UA PREP participants who subsequently enter and complete a competitive PhD program in the biomedical sciences will be the indicator of program success. We are aiming for at least 75%.

  1. Student Demand – is there sufficient student demand for the certificate?
  2. What is the anticipated student enrollment for this certificate by the third year the certificate is offered? Please provide measurable indicators of students’ interest in the certificate with reference to similar programs elsewhere. Provide market analysis or other tangible evidence to support projected enrollment numbers.

The anticipated enrollment by the third year is 4 – 5 students. This is based on Dr. Briehl’s experience directing the Training Program for the Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention, which focuses on preparing undergraduates for postbaccalaureate degree programs. Furthermore, the reviewers of the NIH application for the UA PREP program indicated that 4 – 5 students was a reasonable expectation for enrollment.

  1. What community need, preparation for professional certification exams, degree program recruitment, or employability enhancement, will this certificate provide?

American Indians/Alaskan Natives are the most under-represented group among scientists. UA PREP is aimed at overcoming this disparity in the biomedical workforce.

  1. Will there be any collaboration with other departments or universities to maximize resources? If there is collaboration, please include a memo of support from the applicable parties.

Faculty members from multiple departments have indicated their willingness to provide mentored research experiences for UA PREP participants (see in the next section).

  1. Expected Faculty and Resource Requirements
  2. List the name, rank, highest degree, department and estimated level of involvement of all current faculty members who will participate in the program.

Margaret Briehl, PhD, Professor of Pathology, will devote 10% effort to leading UA PREP. Teshia Solomon, PhD, Associate Professor of Family and Community Medicine will devote 5% effort as the co-leader of UA PREP.

The following faculty haveindicated their willingness to provide mentored research experiences for UA PREP participants

Name / Department(s) or GIDP
Mary Alt / Speech, Language & Hearing Sci.
Elizabeth Arnold / School of Plant Sciences + Genetics
Craig Aspinwall / Chemistry & Biochemistry
Carol Barnes / Psychology + Neuroscience
Jennifer Barton / Biomedical Engineering
Heidi Brown / Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Margaret Briehl / Pathology
Pascale Charest / Chemistry & Biochemistry
Karletta Chief / Soil, Water & Environmental Science
Nicholas Delamere / Physiology
Kristian Doyle / Immunobiology + Neurology
Jamie Edgin / Psychology
Scott Going / Nutritional Sciences
Henk Granzier / Cellular & Molecular Medicine
Ron Heimark / Cellular & Molecular Medicine
Name / Department(s) or GIDP
Karen Herbst / Medicine
Walter Klimecki / Pharmacology/Toxicology
Mary Koithan / Nursing
Anita Koshy / Immunobiology + Neurology
Christina Laukaitis / Medicine
Kristen Limesand / Nutritional Sciences
Sean Limesand / Animal & Biomedical Sciences
Jesse Martinez / Cellular & Molecular Medicine
Joanna Masel / Ecology & Environmental Biology
William Montfort / Chemistry & Biochemistry
Mark Pagel / Medical Imaging
Monika Schmelz / Pathology
Teshia Solomon / Family & Community Medicine
Frans Tax / Molecular & Cellular Biology
Jason Yuan / Translational and Regenerative Med.
Daniela Zarnescu / Molecular & Cellular Biology
  1. Describe additional faculty needed for the first three years of the certificate.

No additional faculty will be needed, as the program is based on coursework that is already in place.

  1. Give the present numbers of FTE students (graduate and undergraduate) and FTE faculty in the department or unit in which the certificate is offered.

Not applicable, as the certificate is offered to students across the biomedical fields.

  1. Give the proposed numbers of FTE students (graduate and undergraduate) and FTE faculty for the next three years in the department or unit in which the certificate is offered.

Not applicable, as the certificate is offered to students across the biomedical fields

  1. Provide a copy of the budget for the certificate including start-up costs and the anticipated costs for the first three years. Include some indication of how this fits with the overall department budget.

The majority of funds for UA PREP will come from an NIH training grant (1R25GM121228). The Dean of the Graduate College and the Chair of the Department of Pathology have agreed to provide additional funds as needed to support the program (see attached letter of institutional support).

  1. Contacts and Administration
  2. List the name and contact information for the primary point of contact for the certificate.

Margaret Briehl, Professor, Pathology, College of Medicine – ; Phone: 626-6827

  1. List the name and contact information for the person or persons who will serve in the role of Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) for the certificate. (This is not always the same as the DGS for affiliated programs or head of the managing academic unit.)

Margaret Briehl, Professor, Pathology, College of Medicine – ; Phone: 626-6827