[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1017/cts.2025.10178.].

BackgroundDiversity on biomedical research teams may lead to higher quality research, but some groups remain under-represented (UR) on research teams. Evaluating the challenges that UR scholars in the health sciences face could inform policies that institutions could take to recruit and retain UR scholars.ObjectiveWe used a large qualitative dataset to examine challenges in pursuing and persisting in research careers among UR postdoctoral and early-career faculty scholars participating in a randomized controlled trial.DesignWe conducted 78 individual qualitative interviews. Most participants held MDs or PhDs and were Black, Hispanic, or biracial. Interviews used a semi-structured guide and were audio-recorded and transcribed. A team of investigators developed an initial codebook based on a subset of interviews, which was iteratively revised by the team. After a final codebook was agreed upon, codes were assigned to all data. Codes were grouped into themes and sub-themes, which were discussed by the team. We present key themes and illustrative quotes.Key ResultsCareer challenges reported by UR scholars came from the culture of academia as well as from external factors. Academia culture challenges included demand for productivity and funding, bias and racism, competition and hierarchy, and the "secret rules" to the system. External challenges included financial stress, being an immigrant, and family demands. Responses to challenges could be positive, including making a career pivot, building resilience, finding one's community, or finding one's passion. Negative consequences to challenges included burnout, imposter syndrome, and low belongingness.ConclusionsChallenges faced by UR scholars can be both internal and external to the academy and can induce negative consequences among UR scholars, but some scholars also build resilience and find passion in the face of these challenges. Efforts to improve the culture of academia and to foster positive mentoring could help retain UR scholars in biomedical science.

Research methodology This case study draws on secondary sources, which are cited in the case and included in the “References and Other Supporting Materials” section of the teaching note, as well as a semi-structured interview with the case’s protagonist to accurately portray the context, considerations and competing interests necessary for students to make an evidence-based recommendation about 5 Generation Bakers’ future. The case protagonist (Scott Baker) gave the author team written permission to use identifying information from the interview. As such, the authors made no attempt to disguise any names or facts pertaining to this case. As a descriptive incident, it illustrates widely used theoretical concepts and models. The case provides students the opportunity to identify theoretical concepts and practical management strategies moving forward in academic and management settings. No AI was used in writing either the case or teaching notes. Case overview/synopsis Scott Baker, owner of 5 Generation Bakers in McKees Rocks, PA, found himself in a difficult position in October 2015. Needing to find a new facility to expand his bakery business and meet the needs of the modern bakery industry, Scott was on his way to a meeting with officials from Cranberry Township promising a sleek, modern facility in an area with lower taxes and promising access to transportation. This tempting offer came at a cost: uprooting his loyal employees and abandoning McKees Rocks after several decades of his family operating a bakery there. On that October day, a twist emerged – the newly vacant lot of a recently closed Bottom Dollar store offered a chance to expand locally. Now, the family business owner had to decide: pursue the new facility in Cranberry, or revitalize his business and stay local. This case is widely applicable but is most directly relevant to modules related to ethics, corporate social responsibility, family business dynamics and stakeholder management analysis in management and leadership courses. Complexity academic level This case is most applicable to business students at the undergraduate or graduate level in entrepreneurship, business strategy, ethics, or related fields. The case is particularly relevant for modules in decision-making, corporate social responsibility, stakeholder management and family business dynamics.

Purpose This paper presents a theoretical model outlining how alignment between organizational diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) framing and DEI practice functions as an important signal to employees that impacts their experience of belongingness. Societal backlash against DEI efforts can impact both organizational framing of DEI efforts and organizational decisions regarding DEI practice. As a result, DEI backlash can disrupt alignment between framing and practice, sending a signal that may negatively impact employee belongingness. Design/methodology/approach The conceptual model links backlash to organizational alignment and/or misalignment between DEI framings and practice. Alignment, in turn, is theorized as a signal of organizational commitment to DEI issues and impacts employee perceptions of belongingness. Findings The model proposes a novel definition of DEI backlash and argues that DEI backlash can lead to organizational misalignment, which serves as a negative signal of organizational commitment to DEI, supplanting employees' sense of belongingness with a sense of alienation and isolation. Practical implications Alignment and misalignment are powerful signals to employees seeking to interpret their organization's commitment to DEI. When misalignment emerges, employees' sense of belonging is disrupted. Organizational leaders have a responsibility to align framings and practices with respect to DEI. Social implications A more complete understanding of how backlash impacts individual-level experiences of belongingness can help organizations respond to backlash, mitigate its negative impacts, and prioritize employee well-being, particularly for targeted social identity groups. Originality/value This paper draws on theoretical and empirical work to present a multi-level definition and conceptual model of DEI backlash. The conceptual model links backlash, a societal-level phenomenon with sociohistorical roots, to individual-level experiences of belongingness within organizations through the lens of alignment and signaling theory.

Introduction:To successfully recruit and retain faculty members from underrepresented backgrounds (URBs), we need to understand the factors that attract them to research careers in the first place. However, scholarship in this area has focused largely on students who are contemplating research careers rather than faculty members who are currently in such careers. Methods:This study explores the career motivations of early-career health researchers (faculty members and postdoctoral fellows) from URBs. It was conducted as part of a cluster randomized trial across 25 academic institutions investigating a support intervention. We conducted 1-hour semi-structured qualitative interviews with scholars from URBs in both the intervention and control arms of the trial. To our knowledge, this is the largest qualitative study of early-career faculty members from URBs to date. Results:Seventy-eight individuals were interviewed. Our analysis revealed six key themes pertinent to participants' motivations to pursue research careers: (1) love of science; (2) making a larger impact; (3) happenstance and economic considerations; (4) family, community, and a path out of poverty; (5) the role of mentors and role models; and (6) support programs for scholars from URBs. Conclusions:Our results align with prior studies while offering new insights into the motivations of URB faculty members in research careers. These insights can and should inform the design of programs to both recruit and retain URM faculty members in research careers.

Introduction:Scientific teams that are comprised of different types of researchers have higher research productivity, and there is a need for evidence-based methods to improve the biomedical research workforce. Building Up a Biomedical Research Workforce (Building Up) was a multi-center, cluster-randomized, unblinded controlled trial with one intervention arm and one control arm, conducted at 25 United States academic medical centers. The authors tested the hypothesis that participants from backgrounds underrepresented in science who are randomized to the intervention will have greater numbers of peer-reviewed publications and increased Psychological Capital, compared to the control group. Methods:The study included a 10-month intervention period and follow-up assessments occurring one, two, and three years after the intervention began. The intervention arm received a 10-month intervention with monthly meetings, near-peer mentoring, networking opportunities, and grant- and scientific-writing coursework. Participants in the control arm experienced the usual forms of mentoring, networking, and coursework that their institutions provided. Results:Of the 220 participants who completed the pre-intervention assessment (98% of all enrolled participants), 71% completed the post-intervention assessment at year 1, 60% at year 2, and 66% at year 3. Individuals in the intervention arm had significantly higher levels of self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism in the three years following the start of the intervention, compared to the control arm. Discussion:This finding suggests that the Building Up intervention can increase participants' Psychological Capital.

Food insecurity is pervasive in Allegheny County, as one in five residents experiences food insecurity. Food insecurity is linked to chronic health conditions like heart disease and hypertension and disproportionately affects women in the United States, particularly women who are head of household. There are multiple dimensions used to measure regional disparities in food accessibility. Prior research has examined the linkages between food access and food insecurity, and this study aims to explore further the relationship between equitable access to sustainable and affordable food sources. This study examines food outlets in Allegheny County to determine if there is a significant relationship between food outlet availability and food insecurity. Both the presence and accessibility of these food outlets were examined. To measure accessibility, the walking distance to the nearest public transportation stop was calculated for each public transportation stop. The minimum distance to each food outlet was compared to food insecurity rates on a census tract level. Results showed that communities without grocery stores had lower access to healthy and affordable food sources. Also, communities with a higher proportion of female-headed households experienced greater food insecurity, regardless of access to food outlets. There was no statistically significant relationship between the distance from public transportation stops to grocery stores and rates of food insecurity overall and in low-income communities. However, communities with inaccessible grocery stores, either absent in the census tract or without close public transport stops, did have even greater average rates of food insecurity if there was an above-average proportion of female-headed households. Based on these findings, it is evident there exist structural elements of the built environment that correspond with disproportionate rates of food insecurity experienced by communities with households that are predominately female headed. In addition to resource support for these marginalized groups, we suggest that sole reliance on distance as an indicator of food insecurity can be misleading. There should be a greater focus on walkability aggregated on a household or individual level within the community instead of physical distance alone at a general scale.

Mentoring may act as a buffer for the negative impacts of racial trauma. Building Up (conducted 2020-2024) is a cluster-randomized trial at 25 institutions of postdoctoral fellows and early-career faculty from underrepresented backgrounds. Generalized linear mixed models were used to identify mentoring competencies associated with the impact of social unrest due to systemic racism. Eighty-two percent of participants (n=143) identified as female, 33% as non-Hispanic Black, and 36% as Hispanic. Mentoring that aligns expectations and mentoring that assesses understanding were significantly associated with social unrest due to systemic racism impacting ability to work (OR=2.84 and OR=0.52, respectively) and conduct research (OR=4.21 and OR=0.41, respectively). Future research should elucidate specific aspects of mentoring relationships that serve as a buffer during times of social unrest.

Objective:Researchers from underrepresented groups leave research positions at a disproportionate rate. We aim to identify factors associated with self-efficacy in career advancement and career commitment among underrepresented post-doctoral fellows and early-career faculty.Methods:Building Up is a cluster-randomized trial with 25 academic health institutions. In September-October 2020, 219 Building Up participants completed the pre-intervention assessment, which included questions on demographics, science identity, mentoring, self-efficacy in career advancement (i.e., advancement is open to me, confidence in career progression, confidence in overcoming professional barriers), and career commitment (i.e., intent to continue research training or studying in a field related to biomedical sciences). Using logistic and multinomial logistic regression, we identified characteristics independently associated with self-efficacy in career advancement and career commitment.Results:The cohort is 80% female, 33% non-Hispanic/Latinx Black, and 34% Hispanic/Latinx. Having mentors that address diversity was significantly associated with the belief that advancement is open to them (OR = 1.7). Higher science identity (OR = 4.0) and having mentors that foster independence (OR = 1.8) were significantly associated with confidence in career progression. Higher science identity was also significantly associated with confidence in overcoming professional barriers (OR = 2.3) and intent to continue studying in a field related to biomedical sciences (OR = 3.3). Higher age (OR = 2.3) and higher science identity (OR = 4.2) were significantly associated with intent to continue research training.Discussion:Science identity and mentoring play key roles in self-efficacy in career advancement and career commitment. These factors may contribute to retention of underrepresented early-career biomedical researchers.

This symposium features five experts in women's leadership development discussing research and theory on the topic, emerging trends, and lessons learned from research and practice to enhance women's leadership development.

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Underrepresented (UR) biomedical researchers leave research positions at a disproportionate rate. We aim to identify factors associated with confidence in career progression and intent to continue clinical research training in UR post-doctoral fellows and early-career faculty. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Building Up is a cluster-randomized trial at 25 academic institutions. In September-October 2020, 224 participants from the Building Up study completed the pre-intervention assessment, which included questions on demographics, science identity, mentoring competency, confidence in career progression, and intent to continue clinical research training. Using multinomial logistic regression controlling for gender and race/ethnicity, we identified factors associated with confidence in career progression, and intent to continue clinical research training. Statistically significant findings are reported. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The cohort (N=219) is 80% female, 33% non-Hispanic Black, and 34% Hispanic. Having mentors that address diversity was associated with belief that career advancement is as open to them as anyone else (OR=1.7) and confidence in ability to overcome professional barriers (OR=1.4). Higher science identity (OR=4.0) and having mentors who foster independence (OR=1.7) were associated with confidence in ability to progress in career. Higher science identity was also associated with confidence in ability to overcome professional barriers (OR=2.2) and intent to continue studying biomedical sciences (OR=3.4). Being faculty (OR=3.8), higher science identity (OR=3.8), and having mentors that align expectations (OR=2.3) were associated with intent to continue clinical research training. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings suggest that science identity and mentoring play key roles in confidence in career progression and intent to continue clinical research training. These factors are important to consider in retaining UR early-career biomedical researchers.

Food insecurity is a pervasive issue for Allegheny County as one in five residents experience food insecurity. Food insecurity is linked to chronic health conditions like heart disease and hypertension and disproportionately affects women in the United States, particularly women who are head of household. There are multiple dimensions used to measure regional food insecurity, one of which is food accessibility. Prior research has examined the linkages between food access and food insecurity, and this study aims to further explore the relationship between equitable access to sustainable food and levels of regional food insecurity. This study examines food outlets in Allegheny County to determine if there is a significant relationship between food outlet availability and food insecurity. Both the presence and accessibility of these food outlets were examined. To measure accessibility, the walking distance to the nearest public transportation stop was calculated for each public transportation stop. The minimum distance to each food outlet was compared to food insecurity rates on a Census Tract level. Results showed that communities without grocery stores did, on average, have higher rates of food insecurity. Also, communities with a higher proportion of female-headed households experienced greater food insecurity, regardless of access to food outlets. However, there was no statistically significant relationship between the distance from public transportation stops to grocery stores and rates of food insecurity. Based on these findings, we suggest that sole reliance on distance as an indicator of food insecurity can be misleading, and there should be a greater focus on walkability within the community as using opposed to physical distance alone.

Abstract Introduction: Underrepresented researchers face more challenges than their well-represented counterparts. Perseverance and consistency of interest are associated with career success in well-represented physicians. Therefore, we examined associations of perseverance and consistency of interest with Clinical Research Appraisal Inventory (CRAI), science identity, and other factors related to career success among underrepresented post-doctoral fellows and early-career faculty. Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis of data collected from September to October 2020 among 224 underrepresented early-career researchers at 25 academic medical centers in the Building Up Trial. We used linear regression to test associations of perseverance and consistency of interest scores with CRAI, science identity, and effort/reward imbalance (ERI) scores. Results: The cohort is 80% female, 33% non-Hispanic Black, and 34% Hispanic. The median perseverance and consistency of interest scores were 3.8 (25th–75th percentile: 3.7,4.2) and 3.7 (25th–75th percentile: 3.2, 4.0), respectively. Higher perseverance was associated with a higher CRAI score (β = 0.82; 95% CI = 0.30, 1.33, p = 0.002) and science identity (β = 0.44; 95% CI = 0.19, 0.68, p = 0.001). Higher consistency of interest was associated with a higher CRAI score (β = 0.60; 95% CI = 0.23, 0.96, p = 0.001) and higher science identity score (β = 0.20; 95% CI = 0.03, 0.36, p = 0.02), while lower consistency of interest was associated with imbalance favoring effort (β = –0.22; 95% CI = –0.33, –0.11, p = 0.001). Conclusions: We found that perseverance and consistency of interest are related to CRAI and science identity, indicating that these factors may positively influence one’s decision to stay in research.

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The Building Up Study tests the effectiveness of an intervention aimed to diversify the workforce using a two-arm cluster randomized trial. We examined how underrepresented (UR) participants’ perceptions of institutional inclusion affected burnout, intent to continue training, and perceived stress. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Building Up was conducted at 25 institutions with 225 UR post-doctoral fellow or early-career faculty participants. To assess perceived institutional inclusion, participants completed a 28-item survey in the first year of follow-up. We used descriptive statistics to describe age, race/ethnicity, and gender. We used exploratory factor analysis to extract factors or domains (survey questions that grouped together). We calculated mean domain scores and used correlations to assess associations between each domain and each dependent variable (burnout, intent to continue training, and perceived stress). Demographics, correlation coefficients and associated p-values are presented. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: 130 of 144 eligible participants completed all questions. The mean age was 39 years (SD = 6), 83% were female, 35% identified as non-Hispanic Black, and 36% identified as Hispanic. Greater inclusivity was associated with lower burnout across 5/6 identified domains: policies (-0.3, p DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings suggest that institutional inclusion is associated with differences in capacity to function among UR postdocs and early-career faculty. Inclusivity of leaders was only associated with intent to continue training. Inclusion coupled with employee support and development are important for positive outcomes.

Purpose The lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the biomedical workforce is pronounced and those from underrepresented backgrounds encounter more challenges than their majority counterparts. The extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on early-career investigators from underrepresented backgrounds is not yet fully understood. To examine the impact of the pandemic on underrepresented early-career biomedical researchers, this study evaluated differences in productivity, research, and psychological well-being by gender and career status. Method This was a cross-sectional analysis of preintervention data, collected in September–October 2020, from 220 participants enrolled in the Building Up a Diverse Biomedical Research Workforce study. Participants were from 25 academic medical centers in the United States and were underrepresented early-career researchers. The primary outcomes were agreement on a 5-point Likert scale with pandemic impact statements (e.g., “The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted my ability to conduct research”). Thematic analysis was conducted on responses to 2 open-ended questions assessing the pandemic’s impact. Results Most participants were female (79.9%), of non-Hispanic/Latinx/Spanish origin Black/African American (33.2%) or Hispanic/Latinx/Spanish origin (34.1%), and early-career faculty (53.4%). Over half of participants agreed or strongly agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their ability to work (55.7%) and conduct research (70.7%). Themes from qualitative analysis suggested lower research productivity, concerns about the academic job market and funding, and psychological distress due to the pandemic. Women were more likely to attribute lost productivity and psychological distress to homeschooling and childcare responsibilities. Postdoctoral fellows were concerned about more competition for fewer academic positions. Conclusions In this study of early-career underrepresented biomedical researchers, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was widely felt by participants, varying by gender and career status. For those postdoctoral fellows and early-career faculty who are underrepresented, it is critical for institutions to offer flexibility in their positions.

This issue of Frontiers has an amazing and diverse array of research articles, essays, case studies and a special section on the important issue of global education in Historically-Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Across this diverse work there is however one important thread that is core to the mission and scope of our journal to “communicate the latest research on education abroad within a multi-disciplinary forum to reflect on critical issues and concerns for academics and professional practitioners”. To realize this mission, we engage across various disciplines, topics, perspectives, and methodologies to address complex opportunities and challenges within global education today and in the future. However, one central question remains at the forefront of all that we do in achieving our purpose—how to we address challenges to our ways of “knowing?”

This article presents a longitudinal case study of efforts to increase participation of African American students who study abroad within an undergraduate business program. Based on an initial assessment, programmatic efforts were put into place and the impact measured across a five-year period. Results show that specific program changes that leverage peer mentoring and identity work substantially increased study abroad participation among African American business students. Key aspects of effective and inclusive program design along with the importance of peer-to-peer mentoring and identity work are discussed ln terms of their role in reducing racial disparities in study abroad participation.