Building an inclusive and representative genomics community through research training and career exposure across the life course of education pathways

Description

A lack of representation within the genomics workforce limits the questions addressed, interpretation of the research, and uptake of actionable results into communities. While these limitations are well known, a lack of representation within the genomics community persists. Challenges include a lack of entry points along the educational and career pathway and barriers or hardships to continuing resulting in lower retention.

Here, we bring together directors of four NIH funded projects that aim to train people from underrepresented groups in genomics and introduce them to future careers. Underrepresented groups include first-generation college students, people with disabilities, and students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI). Each program presents a different point of entry into the genomics community from undergraduate genomics research experiences and fellowships, to Master’s degrees in genomic data science, to career videos that foster science identity. In addition, these programs provide support to retain individuals including fostering identities as genomic scientists, building mentor networks, and cultivating a sense of belonging. After each director presents an overview of their program, there will be a panel discussion about opportunities and challenges in recruiting, training, and retaining a diverse and representative genomics community.

Overview of Presentation:

• Identify genomics training programs and career resources
• Classify different points of entry into genomics careers
• Identify best practices to focus on developing a sense of belonging and supporting building identities as a genomic scientist
• Understand ways to build and support diverse communities and mentoring networks