UM joins MERIT program

January 15, 2019

The Mentored Experiences in Research, Instruction, and Teaching (MERIT) Program is a funded Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award from NIH/NIGMS. It is facilitated through a partnership of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Lawson State Community College, Oakwood University, Stillman College, and the University of Montevallo.

The primary goal of the MERIT Program is to provide Postdoctoral Scholars with outstanding research and teaching experiences while improving the recruitment of underrepresented groups into the field of biomedical research. The immediate objective of the IRACDA-MERIT Program is to enhance the research backgrounds and teaching experiences of developing scientists in order to prepare them to conduct high quality research in an academic environment. Long-term objectives for this program are three-fold:

1. to enhance research-oriented teaching at partner institutions that have a historical mission and a demonstrated commitment to providing training, encouragement and assistance to students from groups underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research;
2. to further promote interactions between research-intensive universities and partner institutions that will lead to collaborations in research and teaching; and
3. to develop highly trained biomedical and behavioral scientists from diverse populations.

To achieve these objectives, qualified postdoctoral scholars are recruited into a four-year program that provides research experiences at UAB and teaching experiences at Oakwood University, Lawson State Community College, Stillman College and the University of Montevallo. Through these experiences, the postdoctoral scholars gain knowledge and skills in both biomedical research and higher education instructional design. Together, the partner schools collaborate in the overall design, improvement and sustainability of the  IRACDA-MERIT Program.
Learn more about the MERIT Program