North Carolina Consortium for Diversity Career Development in Nutrition, Obesity, and Diabetes Research

Project Summary/Abstract There is an urgent need to create sustainable systems to facilitate the success of diverse faculty, particularly because the diseases central to the mission of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) disproportionately impact populations of color. Thus, we propose a comprehensive program

to facilitate the success of diverse faculty engaged in research that is directly responsive to the mission of NIDDK and that builds on the extensive infrastructure already in place within and across our institutions. We draw upon established collaborations through our NIDDK-funded University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Nutrition

Obesity Research Center (UNC-NORC) (P30DK056350, PI Mayer-Davis) and our North Carolina Diabetes Research Center (NC-DRC) (P30DK124723, PI McClain) to include three R-1, predominately white institutions – Duke University, UNC, and Wake Forest University School of Medicine – and three Historically Black

Colleges/Universities: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T), North Carolina Central University, and Winston-Salem State University. Led by MPIs Elizabeth J. Mayer-Davis, PhD, RD, (UNC, UNC-NORC PI) and Elimelda Moige Ongeri, PhD, (NC A&T, PI of NC-DRC for NC A&T), we propose the North

Carolina Consortium for Diversity Career Development in Nutrition, Obesity, and Diabetes Research (NC(CD)2NOD). We aim to build on established infrastructure to develop key program components and a rigorous evaluation plan (Year 1) that ensures continuous quality improvement (Years 2-5) of the NC(CD)2NOD that will support the

success of diverse scientists in the conduct of research in nutrition, obesity, diabetes, and related conditions. We will establish three cohorts of scholars (total n=20) (Year 2, Years 3-4) and execute programmatic activities (Years 2-5). Scholars will be selected competitively and will include senior post-doctoral scholars and early

career faculty members from underrepresented groups across our six institutions. Each scholar will have a dedicated primary mentor and mentoring team as well as access to carefully curated programs for professional development that will unfold over the two-year program. The required deliverable for our program is an NIH

proposal (K or R-level, as appropriate to career stage) for which substantial training and mentoring will be provided. Finally, we will offer a robust P&F Program (Years 1-5) with two levels of funding that will 1) enable collection of preliminary data to support external proposal submissions (up to $50,000 per award) and 2) enhance

research success by providing targeted support for equipment, lab supplies, trainings, etc. (up to $10,000 per award). Building on our substantial existing NIDDK infrastructure and research funding, as well as supplemental institutional financial support for this proposal, the NC(CD)2NOD will markedly enhance the diversity of the

research workforce, preparing scholars to make substantial scientific contributions via independent NIH research funding in the critical areas of nutrition, obesity, diabetes, and related conditions for years to come.