Brain Camp: A Summer Pipeline Program to Increase Diversity in Neurosciences

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience education
• Health equity initiatives
• Medical training pipeline

Background:

• Healthcare professions face challenges in diversity.
• A lack of robust training pipelines for underrepresented backgrounds hinders progress.
• Neurology, in particular, has seen minimal advances in workforce diversity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create an immersive and replicable neurology-themed summer camp.
• To establish a longitudinal mentorship program for underrepresented in medicine (URM) high school students.
• To encourage URM students to enter the neuroscience training pipeline.

Main Methods:

• An annual, no-cost, one-week summer camp was established for local URM students.
• The camp exposed students to neuroscience health professions and provided college application resources.
• A postprogram survey assessed student attitudes and career aspirations.

Main Results:

• 96 students participated from 2016-2020, with 53% identifying as URM.
• 74% of participants were from very low-income households, and 61% had parents without college degrees.
• 91% completed the survey, with 97% recommending the camp and 85% more likely to pursue health careers.

Conclusions:

• Brain Camp addresses the need for accessible programs for URM students interested in healthcare.
• The program aims to serve as a blueprint for similar initiatives nationwide.
• The goal is to strengthen the URM pipeline in neuroscience and related fields.