I am happy to report the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (CICATS) has been successful in creating novel pipeline programs, including the M1 Mentoring Program and the Young Innovative Investigator Program (YIIP), which are increasing diversity among academic scientists and physicians. These programs also address health disparities with the goal of improving community health outcomes. On April 5, Dr. Linda Barry, assistant director of CICATS and director of the YIIP program, did a segment on Philadelphia’s WURD 900AM’s “The MOJO with Stephanie Renee.” During the interview, Dr. Barry shared details of the YIIP  program for biomedical scientists, stressing the need for more students of color to pursue research to cure diseases rooted in the Black community. Listen to the full interview.

I strongly believe the YIIP program, coupled with the commitment and drive of our scholars, has provided them the opportunity to takes steps towards their futures becoming the next generation of scientists and physicians. We have announced a call for applications for YIIP Scholars for the upcoming 2016-2017 academic year. The submission deadline is Monday, April 25 with the selected YIIP Scholars being announced in early May. For more information about YIIP, please contact Lana Angelo, YIIP Program Coordinator at langelo@uchc.edu.

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