Sociocultural and contextual determinants of science career goal at a community college and baccalaureate-granting institution.

Guided by social cognitive career theory (SCCT; Lent et al. in J Vocat Behav 45(1):79-122, 1994), we assessed sociocultural (e.g., home-school cultural value mismatch) and contextual barriers (e.g., institutional climate) in science education and career development at both a baccalaureate-granting institution (BGI) and community college (CC) among 263 students (72.4% female; Mage = 22.96, SD = 5.70) in the USA. For BGI students, path analyses suggest proximal factors such as in-class prejudice negatively predicted science self-efficacy and prejudice from faculty and staff predicted lower career outcome expectations. For CC students, home-school cultural value mismatch directly predicted science career goals. Implications for future research, intervention and policy are discussed.

Déterminants socioculturels et contextuels dans l'objectif de poursuivre une carrière scientifique dans un collège communautaire et un établissement délivrant le baccalauréat Guidés par la théorie sociale cognitive de la carrière (SCCT; Lent et al., 1994), nous avons évalué les barrières socioculturelles (p. ex. le décalage entre les valeurs culturelles de l'école et de la famille) et contextuelles (par exemple, le climat institutionnel) dans l'enseignement des sciences et le développement de carrière dans un établissement conférant le baccalauréat (BGI) et un collège communautaire (CC) parmi 263 étudiant·e·s (72,4% femmes; Mage = 22,96, SD = 5,70) aux États-Unis. Pour les étudiant·e·s de BGI, les analyses suggèrent que les facteurs proximaux tels que les préjugés dans la classe prédisent négativement l'auto-efficacité scientifique et que les préjugés du corps enseignant et du personnel prédisent des attentes plus faibles en matière de carrière. Pour les étudiants CC, le décalage des valeurs culturelles entre la famille et l'école prédit directement les buts de carrière scientifique. Les implications pour les recherches futures, les interventions et les politiques sont discutées.

Determinantes socioculturales y contextuales de las metas en carreras científicas en un colegio comunitario e instituciones que otorgan grados en bachillerato (103R1) Guiados por la teoría social cognitiva de la carrera (SCCT; Lent et al., 1994), evaluamos las barreras socioculturales (p. ej., el desajuste cultural entre el hogar y la escuela) y las barreras contextuales (p. ej., el clima institucional) en la educación científica y el desarrollo profesional tanto en un bachillerato como en una institución otorgante (BGI) y colegio comunitario (CC) entre 263 estudiantes (72.4% mujeres; Edad = 22.96, SD = 5.70) en los Estados Unidos. Para los estudiantes de BGI, los análisis de ruta sugieren factores proximales como el prejuicio en la clase que predijo negativamente la autoeficacia científica y el prejuicio de la facultad y el personal predijeron expectativas de resultados profesionales más bajas. Para los estudiantes de CC, el desajuste de los valores culturales entre el hogar y la escuela predijo directamente las metas de la carrera científica. Se discuten las implicaciones para futuras investigaciones, intervenciones y políticas.

A systematic literature review of breastfeeding interventions among Black populations using the RE-AIM framework.

BACKGROUND: Lactation support resources are less likely to be located in close proximity to where Black families live and there is a systemic racist health care belief that Black women prefer bottle feeding (with infant formula) over breastfeeding. Together, these lead to lower reported breastfeeding rates of Black babies compared to other racial / ethnic groups. It is imperative to have a deeper understanding of the cultural aspects as well as the underlying limitations that prevent Black women / persons from being supported to breastfeed. There is a need to know how effective breastfeeding interventions are in reaching the intended population; how well they work in promoting breastfeeding initiation and continuation; and how successful they are when implemented at the setting and staff level. The purpose of this investigation was to establish the level of internal and external validity that was reported by breastfeeding intervention studies among Black communities. METHODS: Studies on breastfeeding interventions on Black people that were published between the years 1990 and 2019 were carefully examined through PubMed, EBSCOhost, Web of Science, and OneSearch. A total of 31 studies fulfilled the requirements to be included for this evaluation. In order to extract the information from the articles, the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance (RE-AIM) framework extraction tool was utilized. RESULTS: On average, the proportion of studies that reported across reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance indicators was 54, 35, 19, 48, and 9%, respectively. Across core RE-AIM indicators only sample size (100%) and breastfeeding outcomes (90%) were reported consistently. External validity indicators related to representativeness of participants (16%) and sites (3%) were rarely reported. Similarly, adherence to intervention protocol, and indicator of internal validity, was reported in a small proportion of articles (19%). CONCLUSION: This body of literature under-reported on aspects associated to both internal and external validity across all RE-AIM domains. The reporting of the individual level of representativeness; the setting level of representativeness; the intervention's adherence to the protocol; the expenses; and the factors of sustainability would benefit from improvement in future research.

Enhancing grant-writing expertise in BUILD institutions: Building infrastructure leading to diversity.

BACKGROUND: The lack of race/ethnic and gender diversity in grants funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is a persistent challenge related to career advancement and the quality and relevance of health research. We describe pilot programs at nine institutions supported by the NIH-sponsored Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) program aimed at increasing diversity in biomedical research. METHODS: We collected data from the 2016-2017 Higher Education Research Institute survey of faculty and NIH progress reports for the first four years of the program (2015-2018). We then conducted descriptive analyses of data from the nine BUILD institutions that had collected data and evaluated which activities were associated with research productivity. We used Poisson regression and rate ratios of the numbers of BUILD pilots funded, students included, abstracts, presentations, publications, and submitted and funded grant proposals. RESULTS: Teaching workshops were associated with more abstracts (RR 4.04, 95% CI 2.21-8.09). Workshops on grant writing were associated with more publications (RR 2.64, 95% CI 1.64-4.34) and marginally with marginally more presentations. Incentives to develop courses were associated with more abstracts published (RR 4.33, 95% CI 2.56-7.75). Workshops on research skills and other incentives were not associated with any positive effects. CONCLUSIONS: Pilot interventions show promise in supporting diversity in NIH-level research. Longitudinal modeling that considers time lags in career development in moving from project development to grants submissions can provide more direction for future diversity pilot interventions.

Evaluation of a breastfeeding promotion film among a racially minoritized sample.

BACKGROUND: In Los Angeles County (LAC), disparities in breastfeeding rates vary by race and region. Black persons are more affected by social and environmental factors than other racial/ethnic groups, leading to lower breast/chestfeeding rates. This study aims to evaluate the community's knowledge, perceptions, experiences, barriers, and solutions before and after an educational film about Black persons who are breast/chestfeeding. METHODS: Participant responses were collected anonymously through an online survey (via QR code) pre-and post-viewing a film with open- and closed-ended questions. There were 15 pre-screening questions and 24 post-screening questions discussed with a team of community experts. Questions included four main areas related to breast/chestfeeding: current/past experiences, support, awareness of laws, and solutions. Central tendency, variance, and paired differences were calculated from evaluation responses. RESULTS: There were 185 participants who completed the pre-screening evaluation and 57 participants who completed the post-screening evaluation. Racial/ethnic differences were found for stated reasons for attendance, and perceptions of breastfeeding being challenging after viewing the video. On a five-point Likert scale (1 = very relevant, 5 = not relevant), most participants felt the video was relevant (median response = "2-relevant"; IQR = "3-neutral"; "1-very relevant"), learned something new (81.4%) and knew how to access breast/chestfeeding support after viewing the video (93.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Current media is a way to alter perceptions and opinions, and provides information. Additionally, it can be a way of increasing awareness of issues that Black breast/chestfeeding persons encounter. Strategic marketing efforts for future film screenings may increase attendance of those that can gain insight into breast/chestfeeding support (youth/young adults and males). Supportive breast/chestfeeding environments can also be a reality with readily accessible, unified, and encouraging personal and professional networks.

The Earliest Food Deserts: Availability of Infant and Follow-on Formula, and Lactation Support Products among Stores in Black and Non-Hispanic White Zip Codes in Los Angeles County.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates the availability, accessibility, and product depth of in-store infant feeding and galactagogues products in majority Black and majority white zip codes in Los Angeles County. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine racial/ethnic neighborhood differences in the availability of infant and follow-on formula and galactagogues products in 47 retail stores in 21 zip codes. Store-level data were collected in June 2019 and an observational tool for galactagogues products and infant/follow-on formula (availability, accessibility, product depth) was employed at each store. RESULTS: Most of the stores were grocery stores (87.2%). Stores in majority Black zip codes had less availability of infant formula ready-to-use (p = 0.001), less accessibility of follow-on powder (p = 0.028), and availability of galactagogues beverages (p = 0.036) versus majority white zip codes. Product depth (number of brands sold) of stores with one or more brands of the aforementioned products was consistently higher in majority white zip codes compared to majority Black zip codes. Stores in majority Black zip codes were most likely to have lower availability of infant formula and galactagogues products, an important part of the food environment for infant feeding options, in particular, for lactation support. CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: Most studies investigating the association of the food environment and health outcomes have focused only on solid foods. However, additional food products (e.g., liquids, powders) may be contributors to extensive disparities in infant mortality between Black and white infants and may lead to health disparities beyond infant stage (e.g., children, adolescents, and adults). Lastly, for breastfeeding inequities to decrease, pregnant and postpartum Black persons need equitable access and education on safe and quality galactagogues products.

Science Identity among Latinx Students in the Biomedical Sciences: The Role of a Critical Race Theory-Informed Undergraduate Research Experience.

Underrepresented racial minority (URM) students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors encounter educational, social, and structural challenges on the path toward their degrees and careers. An undergraduate research program grounded in critical race theory was developed and implemented to address this disparity. NIH BUILD PODER focuses on developing science identities in URM students through a culturally relevant and responsive research training environment, ultimately increasing their pursuit of biomedical-related research careers. The current study examines differences in science identities and the intention to pursue a science career among a sample of undergraduate Latinx seniors (N = 102) in biomedical science majors. Three groups were examined: 1) BUILD PODER students, 2) non-BUILD PODER students who reported having a faculty mentor, and 3) non-BUILD PODER students who reported no faculty mentorship. Results revealed that BUILD PODER students reported the highest levels of science personal-identity and science social-identity upon graduation. Additionally, BUILD PODER students and non-BUILD PODER students with a mentor reported greater levels of science social-identity than those without a mentor. BUILD PODER students also reported the strongest intentions to pursue a science career after college. These results highlight the importance of identity processes in the success of Latinx college students in biomedical science majors.

Using critical race theory to reframe mentor training: theoretical considerations regarding the ecological systems of mentorship.

This article offers a theoretical and critical analysis of race-dysconscious mentorship involving students of color and white faculty. Inspired by ecological systems theory, critical race theory, and the NIH-funded program, Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity: Promoting Opportunities for Diversity in Education and Research, our analysis considers the ecosystems that promote student pushout and hinder diversification of the scientific workforce, which call for "critical" alternatives to traditional research mentorship. We first examine the historical, social-political, institutional, interpersonal, and intrapsychic ecosystems of traditional mentor-protégé relationships. Two areas are reviewed: (a) "diversity" as it operates in universities and research laboratories and (b) the discursive properties of a dysconscious dialog that rationalizes modern racism. Next, we connect the five ecosystems of mentorship by integrating literature on critical history, white consciousness, the interpersonal context of mentoring, and mentor-protégé phenomenology. Our analysis demonstrates how the racialized lives of members involved in a mentoring relationship are situated within racist macro-level ecological systems wherein intrapsychic and interpersonal actions and discourses unfold. The development of race-consciousness and anti-racist faculty mentor training programs is also discussed.

BUILDing Equity in STEM: A Collaborative Undergraduate Research Program to Increase Achievement of Underserved Community College Students.

Undergraduate research programs at community colleges maximize their impact through partnerships with baccalaureate-granting institutions, which provide much needed access to subject matter experts, research labs, and funding to underserved students. The program Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity: Promoting Opportunities for Diversity in Education and Research (BUILD PODER) partners baccalaureate-granting California State University, Northridge with community college faculty and students to facilitate undergraduate research and development at community colleges. Eighty-one community college students and 41 community college faculty mentors have participated in BUILD PODER, performing research in STEM and biomedical disciplines. The authors document student, faculty, and institutional outcomes as well as share best practices in forming community college-university partnerships. Future directions also are offered in the development and implementation of transdisciplinary, multi-institutional community college collaborations.

Faculty writing groups: The impact of protected writing time and group support.

Faculty at teaching institutions carry high teaching loads, leaving little time to write manuscripts or grant applications, let alone getting them published or awarded. This manuscript describes the impact of protected writing time for faculty at a higher education, teaching institution who committed to focused, uninterrupted writing time on a weekly basis and exchanged writing challenges and tips with colleagues. A mixed methods approach was used to assess the impacts of the writing group which found increased productivity (manuscripts and publications, proposals and grants) and sense of a research community with enhanced structural knowledge, camaraderie, and morale.

Mentors Make a Difference: Community College Students' Development in a Biomedical Research Training Program Informed by Critical Race Theory.

This study examined the impact of participation in an undergraduate biomedical research training program (BUILD PODER) on community college students' academic, career, and psychosocial development. The program leveraged Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a guiding theoretical framework to empower students as learners and social justice advocates as well as to build a bridge to science through respectful, supportive research mentoring relationships (Saetermoe et al., 2017). In this quasi-experimental design, community college students (Mage = 21.29, SD = 5.02, 78.6% female) who had been in the program for a year (BUILD treatment group, N = 8) reported significantly greater understanding of research, course materials, and satisfactory mentorship compared to community college students in the pre-treatment, comparison group (Pre-BUILD group; N = 18). Qualitative analysis provided further insight into the academic and psychosocial impact of research training and mentoring for community college students interested in health and health equity.

Baseline Characteristics of the 2015-2019 First Year Student Cohorts of the NIH Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Program.

Objective: The biomedical/behavioral sciences lag in the recruitment and advancement of students from historically underrepresented backgrounds. In 2014 the NIH created the Diversity Program Consortium (DPC), a prospective, multi-site study comprising 10 Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) institutional grantees, the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) and a Coordination and Evaluation Center (CEC). This article describes baseline characteristics of four incoming, first-year student cohorts at the primary BUILD institutions who completed the Higher Education Research Institute, The Freshmen Survey between 2015-2019. These freshmen are the primary student cohorts for longitudinal analyses comparing outcomes of BUILD program participants and non-participants. Design: Baseline description of first-year students entering college at BUILD institutions during 2015-2019. Setting: Ten colleges/universities that each received <$7.5mil/yr in NIH Research Project Grants and have high proportions of low-income students. Participants: First-year undergraduate students who participated in BUILD-sponsored activities and a sample of non-BUILD students at the same BUILD institutions. A total of 32,963 first-year students were enrolled in the project; 64% were female, 18% Hispanic/Latinx, 19% African American/Black, 2% American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 17% Asian, and 29% White. Twenty-seven percent were from families with an income <$30,000/yr and 25% were their family's first generation in college. Planned Outcomes: Primary student outcomes to be evaluated over time include undergraduate biomedical degree completion, entry into/completion of a graduate biomedical degree program, and evidence of excelling in biomedical research and scholarship. Conclusions: The DPC national evaluation has identified a large, longitudinal cohort of students with many from groups historically underrepresented in the biomedical sciences that will inform institutional/national policy level initiatives to help diversify the biomedical workforce.

Pilot Study of an Intervention to Increase Cultural Awareness in Research Mentoring: Implications for Diversifying the Scientific Workforce.

INTRODUCTION: Innovative evidence-based-interventions are needed to equip research mentors with skills to address cultural diversity within research mentoring relationships. A pilot study assessed initial outcomes of a culturally tailored effort to create and disseminate a novel intervention titled Culturally Aware Mentoring (CAM) for research mentors. INTERVENTION: Intervention development resulted in four products: a 6hr CAM training curriculum, a facilitator guide, an online pre-training module, and metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of CAM training. METHOD: Participants were 64 research mentors from three US research-intensive universities. Quantitative pre and post-training evaluation survey data were collected. RESULTS: Participants found high value and satisfaction with the CAM training, reported gains in personal cultural awareness and cultural skills, and increased intentions and confidence to address cultural diversity in their mentoring. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings indicate that the CAM training holds promise to build research mentors' capacity and confidence to engage directly with racial/ethnic topics in research mentoring relationships.

Critical race theory as a bridge in science training: the California State University, Northridge BUILD PODER program.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Unconscious bias and explicit forms of discrimination continue to pervade academic institutions. Multicultural and diversity training activities have not been sufficient in making structural and social changes leading to equity, therefore, a new form of critical consciousness is needed to train diverse scientists with new research questions, methods, and perspectives. The purpose of this paper is to describe Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD); Promoting Opportunities for Diversity in Education and Research (PODER), which is an undergraduate biomedical research training program based on transformative framework rooted in Critical Race Theory (CRT). KEY HIGHLIGHTS: By employing a CRT-informed curriculum and training in BUILD PODER, students are empowered not only to gain access but also to thrive in graduate programs and beyond. Poder means "power" or "to be able to" in Spanish. Essentially, we are "building power" using students' strengths and empowering them as learners. The new curriculum helps students understand institutional policies and practices that may prevent them from persisting in higher education, learn to become their own advocates, and successfully confront social barriers and instances of inequities and discrimination. To challenge these barriers and sustain campus changes in support of students, BUILD PODER works toward changing campus culture and research mentoring relationships. By joining with ongoing university structures such as the state university Graduation Initiative, we include CRT tenets into the campus dialogue and stimulate campus-wide discussions around institutional change. Strong ties with five community college partners also enrich BUILD PODER's student body and strengthen mentor diversity. Preliminary evaluation data suggest that BUILD PODER's program has enhanced the racial/ethnic consciousness of the campus community, is effective in encouraging more egalitarian and respectful faculty-student relationships, and is a rigorous program of biomedical research training that supports students as they achieve their goals. IMPLICATIONS: Biomedical research programs may benefit from a reanalysis of the fit between current training programs and student strengths. By incorporating the voices of talented youth, drawing upon their native strengths, we will generate a new science that links biomedical research to community health and social justice, generating progress toward health equity through a promising new generation of scholars.

An ethical frame for research with immigrant families.

In this introduction, the editors give an overview of the ways the volume addresses the growing individual and institutional calls for increased clarity and rigor in methodological, ethical, and practical research policies and guidelines for conducting research with immigrant individuals, families, and communities. In addition to summarizing the volume's purpose, background on the U.S. immigrant population is given, followed by delineation of the five major issues contributing to the field of immigrant studies research and entering the "field" and engaging with immigrant families and communities: heterogeneity and history, documentation status, research pragmatics, research lens and bias, and influence on policy.

Doing no harm and getting it right: guidelines for ethical research with immigrant communities.

This chapter provides a guide to research logistics and ethics in studying immigrant families. The authors outline major pragmatic issues in research design and data collection to which all scholars must attend, although current practices often do not respond to the idiosyncratic issues related to vulnerable immigrant populations (e.g., undocumented immigrants). The chapter presents vital procedures to ensure both the protection of research participants from immigrant backgrounds and validity of the data collected from them and seeks to be a source of reference for institutional review boards (IRBs). Specific issues addressed include navigating IRBs, informed consent, recruitment and sampling, and translation of instruments and interviews.

A qualitative enquiry of caregivers of adolescents with severe disabilities in Guatemala City.

PURPOSE: This study explores the experiences of lower middle class Ladino and Indígena parents and caregivers of adolescents with severe physical disabilities as they negotiate Guatemala's urban health care and education systems. METHOD: Interviews with parents and guardians regarding the diagnostic period, current functioning in several domains and resources were analysed using Constructivist Grounded Theory with 15 families in Guatemala City. RESULTS: Juxtaposing economic resources with preparation for adult roles along two dimensions in an axial grid, individual differences were identified. When families experience financial urgency, finding it difficult to meet even basic needs, securing employment immediately is most salient in the transition to adulthood (Low Resources, High Preparation); when families have greater resources, they are less pressed for economic input and, instead, describe a longer-term concern for the educational and professional development of their child (High Resources, High Preparation) or worry about the care of their offspring after their demise (High Resources, Low Preparation). CONCLUSIONS: Practitioners, therapists, parents and policy-makers can be more effectual in providing targeted services by understanding individual differences in the perception of disability, economic resources, and the need for other resources that ensure viable adult roles for young people with disabilities in Guatemala and elsewhere.