Our IMSD program provides graduate students with the professional development opportunities, academic support, and a community which enhance success in their PhD programs and make them highly competitive for the postdoctoral positions and scientific careers of their choice. Students pursuing PhDs in biomedical sciences and biostatistics are eligible for IMSD funding if they are citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. and members of the following groups historically underrepresented in the biomedical sciences -- the disabled, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, and African Americans.

Competitive Diversity Fellowships are available to first-year underrepresented students accepted into the BBSP. These collaborative awards between IMSD, T32 or HHMI training programs, and the UNC School of Medicine provide 1-2 years of stipend support, a Macbook Pro laptop, textbook scholarship, membership into a scientific society, and a $1000 travel award to give a research presentation at a scientific conference. Partnerships have been established with the following training programs:

• Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
• Genetics & Molecular Biology
• Integrative Vascular Biology
• Molecular and Cellular Biophysics
• Neurobiology
• Pharmacology
• Toxicology
• Translational Medicine
• Virology

IMSD participants can choose from a menu of outstanding professional development opportunities that enable each individual student to reach their full potential. These opportunities are available in group and one-on-one sessions with nationally recognized professional consultants in public speaking/presentation, scientific writing, and career planning. Another unique highlight of our program is the opportunity to collaborate with biostatistics PhD candidates who can serve as consultants to assist participants with experimental design and data analysis for their research project.

Since outstanding scholastic performance makes students more competitive for fellowships and training grants, our Academic and Career Excellence (ACE) Program offers tremendous academic support tailored to meet the specific needs of each IMSD participant. ACE staff are PhDed scientists who provide academic coaching for courses, development of critical analysis skills, and comprehensive exam preparation. Additionally, ACE instructors and experienced IMSD graduate students provide mentorship to assist first year students with their transition into graduate school.