The Influence of a Graduate School's Summer Research Program on Undergraduates of Color Attaining Public Health Graduate Degrees and Careers

Outcomes from a graduate school-based multidiscipline summer research program for under-represented undergraduate students of color had an unanticipated influence on participating students receiving graduate degrees in public health fields and entering public health professions. A considerable number entered academe. In reviewing program evaluation data from 1991 to 2008, there were 800 participants, of which 602 received postbaccalaureate degrees, and 60 received public health graduate degrees. Of those 60 participants, 35 received Doctorate degrees and the other 25 attained Master's in public health. Further, 15 Doctorate recipients are currently university faculty members with 11 in schools or departments of public health. Regarding a field such as public health as an example, this chapter reinforced the notion that engaging under-represented undergraduate students in meaningful research within specific disciplines is an effective approach to enhance diversity and inclusion within those disciplines.