Establishing and Evaluating an Interdisciplinary Summer Undergraduate Research Training Program in Maternal, Child,...

Representation of professionals from populations affected by health disparities is crucial for equality in healthcare practice and research. Undergraduate research programs focused on health disparities can deeply impact students' self-efficacy, interest, and persistence in health and research-focused careers. In this study, we designed, implemented, and evaluated a novel summer undergraduate research program focused on maternal, child, and family health. Over four summers, 45 students from a range of majors engaged in interdisciplinary faculty-mentored research projects, using methods ranging from molecular biology to community-based participatory research. The impact of the program on these students-the vast majority of whom were from historically marginalized communities-was demonstrated through an evaluation study including pre-program and post-program surveys and tracking post-program student outcomes, including co-authoring publications and conference presentations, and persisting in health and research fields after graduation (an outcome for 76% of our graduates). This program was designed to be accessible and supportive and to offer students the opportunity to engage in research projects focused on the health of the communities in which they are personally invested. Our program makes a novel contribution to the field of health disparities training programs, as we did not encounter in the literature any prior studies describing the establishment and evaluation of an undergraduate research program in maternal, child, and family health. The insights we gained from implementing this program could be utilized by other institutions seeking to design undergraduate research programs focused on maternal, child, and family health specifically, or on health disparities more broadly.