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As we celebrate NIA’s 50th anniversary year, we underscore our institute’s crucial commitment to increasing equity and diversity in aging research, including in the scientific workforce. Read on to learn more about our efforts!
Supporting diversity in aging research across the lifespan
At NIA, we believe a life course perspective is paramount to understanding the relationship between the environmental, sociocultural, behavioral, and biological factors that play a role in health disparities. To guide researchers, we use a Health Disparities Research Framework that identifies nine priority populations for research, including, but not limited to, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, rural populations, disability populations, and sexual and gender minorities. This framework also helps inform research exploring the environmental, sociocultural, behavioral, and biological determinants of health disparities related to aging.
In parallel, on the clinical research front, we are forging more inclusive policies and resources. Earlier this year, NIA implemented an Awaiting Receipt of Application grant policy that aims to ensure clinical study enrollment is representative of all those who are affected by a disease or condition and improve inclusion of underrepresented populations. To support investigators, NIA offers a range of tools, including a searchable repository of resources to support recruitment and retention for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias clinical trials and studies; an outreach materials generator to create customized dementia trial recruitment materials that have been audience-tested across four populations and five languages; and a cutting-edge system to help NIA-funded scientists manage, analyze, and meet their trial enrollment goals.
Recruiting and training a diverse next generation of researchers
NIA also continues to expand upon efforts to foster a more diverse and inclusive aging-focused scientific workforce . For decades, the NIA Intramural Research Program has offered a range of excellent training opportunities in biomedical and behavioral sciences, including the Summer Trainee in Aging Research (STAR) Program , which provides high school, college, graduate, and medical students with hands-on lab experience at NIA’s Baltimore facility. Additionally, NIA funds a variety of extramural programs, such as the Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research , which aims to diversify the workforce through career development, mentoring, and scientific infrastructure that supports early-career investigators in economics, social, behavioral, or psychological science.
Another example is the Butler-Williams Scholars (BWS) Program , one of NIA’s foundational career development efforts, which originated in 1987. BWS offers an inclusive applied learning experience for junior and mid-career faculty from a variety of disciplines who wish to establish a career in aging research. Participants gain a broad understanding of the field, expand their professional networks, refine their research aims, and learn how to review an NIH award.
In addition, NIA offers a multitude of training programs to enhance diversity across multiple education and career levels. We also develop programs to engage the full breadth of disciplines that play a role in aging science, such as entrepreneurs, through programs such as NIA’s Healthy Aging Start-Up Challenge and Accelerator .
Importantly, we also recognize the need for more strategies that support enduring careers in aging science. To this end, we are working to reduce barriers to scientific careers through several pathways, including increasing stipends for investigators , supporting reentry to the workforce after life events such as childbirth and caregiving responsibilities , and developing opportunities to help train and retrain individuals into scientific careers.
Join us to recognize the importance of research diversity
Watch for future blogs on these topics, including a closer look at the importance of including people with disabilities in research studies and the scientific workforce.
In the meantime, we invite you to join us in recognizing the importance of research diversity. Throughout October, follow NIA on X and LinkedIn and use the hashtag #ResearchDiversity to learn more about NIA’s training and career development programs and join our intramural and extramural training staff Oct. 23, noon ET for a Q&A on training and career development opportunities for graduate students .
50th Anniversary Scientific Resources Training and Career Development 2024-10-16T00:00:00Z