Emory launches mentorship program to INSPIRE and diversify next generation of infectious disease researchers

June 25, 2024

Media Contact

Amy Rowland, MSc.

Communication Director, Emory Global Health Institute

Undergraduate students from across the U.S. arrived in Atlanta for the summer to begin a 12-month mentorship in infectious diseases (ID) research. The INfectious Diseases Summer Program Integrating Research at Emory (INSPIRE) began May 28 with six students spending 10 weeks on campus to meet and work alongside their Emory faculty mentors.

After the summer in-person time ends, participants return to their own institutions but continue to receive mentorship from Emory faculty throughout the cohort’s term. Students may also continue the research they began at Emory by analyzing their work, writing it up for publication in journals and/or presenting at scientific conferences.

INSPIRE focuses on providing opportunities for students from underrepresented backgrounds to explore a career in ID research, including a pathway to further education.

The success of a summer 2023 pilot resulted in a grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to principal investigators Michael Chung, Anita Corbett and Zanthia Wiley that is focused on preparing 48 undergraduate students for careers in ID research over five years. The pilot was supported by many Emory stakeholders who collectively made the grant award and experience for these students and their mentors possible.

“INSPIRE was a catalyst in my journey to becoming a physician,” says Yasha Joseph, an Emory anthropology and human biology undergraduate student who participated in the 2023 pilot program. She was paired with Wiley last year and researched long-COVID care, particularly what demographics made up the small percentage of participants who did not follow up to health appointments and why.

“This enabled me to combine my passions for social sciences and natural sciences, as I love understanding how diversity and inclusion, patient advocacy and social determinants of health can impact how infectious diseases spread,” Joseph says. “I can say with confidence that infectious diseases is now one of my top specialties of interest.”

Each student in the cohort is assigned a research mentor for their infectious diseases work. They also are assigned an “identity” mentor, an Emory faculty member who may share similar race, ethnicity, life experiences and/or background to the student, and who can help them navigate challenges they may face or share opportunities from their own professional experiences.

“One of the biggest highlights of INSPIRE was the mentorship,” adds Joseph. “It was great to connect with and learn from Dr. Nadine Harris, an infectious diseases physician who is Caribbean, like me, and shared so much invaluable insight into her experiences.”

In addition to the research program, INSPIRE enabled Joseph to shadow different health care professionals and conduct community outreach at an Atlanta YMCA. She went on to present her research at the national American Federation for Medical Research conference in October 2023 and the Georgia CTSA (Southeast Regional Clinical and Translational Science Conference) in February 2024.

2024 INSPIRE summer cohort begins

The five-year NIAID grant is administered by TREE at Emory Global Health Institute (EGHI) and supported by the Laney Graduate School Summer Opportunity for Graduate Research (LGS-SOAR) and the Division of Infectious Diseases at Emory School of Medicine. Each year, a new cohort of undergraduate trainees will spend the summer conducting ID research at Emory University, followed by career mentorship and guidance on applying to graduate school. In addition, workshops will be implemented in collaboration with the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) at the University of Wisconsin to help faculty mentors learn how to more effectively teach students from diverse backgrounds.

“INSPIRE will not only provide valuable research experience for underrepresented undergraduates but help us learn how to become better mentors in the process,” says Chung, who serves as director of TREE. “In such a virtuous cycle, we hope to create a more conducive and inclusive research environment that better represents the communities we serve.”

The 2024 INSPIRE participants are a diverse group from across the United States.

Brandon Artis, North Carolina A&T University

Research mentor: Cheryl Day, associate professor, Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Identity mentor: Zanthia Wiley, associate professor, Emory School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases

Nkemka Chukwumerije, Wesleyan University

Research mentor: Anandi Sheth, professor, Emory School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases
Identity mentor: Igho Ofotokun, professor, Emory School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases

Bella Grace Parker, Stetson University

Research mentor: Marcin Grabowicz, associate professor, Emory School of Medicine, Departments of Microbiology and Immunology and Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases
Identity mentor: Boghuma Titanji, assistant professor, Emory School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases

Daelyn Pena, Columbia University

Research mentor: Sohail Khoshnevis, assistant professor, Emory School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry
Identity mentor: Paulina Rebolledo, associate professor, Emory School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases

Taylor Richardson, Spelman College

Research mentor: Stephanie Pouch, associate professor, Emory School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases
Identity mentor: Melody Palmore, associate professor, Emory School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases

Angel Santos, University of Puerto Rico

Research mentor: Gonzalo Vasquez Prokopec, associate professor, Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Winship Distinguished Research Professor in Environmental Sciences
Identity mentor: Annelys Roque Gardner, assistant professor, Emory School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases

For more information about INSPIRE, contact TREE4Health@emory.edu.

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