Introduction: The diversity of participating investigators representing diverse disciplines, career stages, stakeholder groups, regions and types of institutions is essential for the success of large-scale research programmes. In 2021, the National Institutes of Health introduced a requirement for some of its large grants to include a separate section that describes the project's plan for enhancing diverse perspectives (PEDPs). Our project aims to develop consensus-based PEDP evaluation metrics and instruments that can be systematically and sustainably collected across the projects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women in the US, predominantly due to ischemic heart disease (IHD). There is a notable deficiency in therapies tailored for IHD in women, who often present with variable symptoms that delay diagnosis and treatment. In many cases, coronary angiography does not reveal obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) despite increased risk for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) compared with sex and age-matched asymptomatic cohorts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Common barriers to students' persistence in research include experiencing feelings of exclusion and a lack of belonging, difficulties developing a robust researcher identity, perceptions of racial and social stigma directed toward them, and perceived gaps in research skills, which are particularly pronounced among trainees from groups traditionally underrepresented in research. To address these known barriers, summer research programs have been shown to increase the participation and retention of undergraduate students in research. However, previous programs have focused predominantly on technical knowledge and skills, without integrating an academic enrichment curriculum that promotes professional development by improving students' academic and research communication skills.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe maintenance of a healthy epithelial-endothelial juxtaposition requires cross-talk within glomerular cellular niches. We sought to understand the spatially-anchored regulation and transition of endothelial and mesangial cells from health to injury in DKD. From 74 human kidney samples, an integrated multi-omics approach was leveraged to identify cellular niches, cell-cell communication, cell injury trajectories, and regulatory transcription factor (TF) networks in glomerular capillary endothelial (EC-GC) and mesangial cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe organizational principles of nephronal segments are based on longstanding anatomical and physiological attributes that are closely linked to the homeostatic functions of the kidney. Novel molecular approaches have recently uncovered layers of deeper signatures and states in tubular cells that arise at various timepoints on the spectrum between health and disease. For example, a dedifferentiated state of proximal tubular cells with mesenchymal stemness markers is frequently seen after injury.
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