Enhancing the Success of Early Career Infectious Disease Researchers

UC San Diego Raising Advancement and Parity for Infectious Disease Researchers (RAPID) program is a faculty development program for underrepresented minority (URM) junior faculty in infectious diseases. The goals of the program are to provide strong mentorship, enhance critical academic and grant writing skills and the development of infectious disease research to improve the long-term success of early career faculty and transitioning postdoctoral scholars from groups underrepresented in the biomedical workforce.

Participation in the program includes two all-expense-paid Summer Institutes, Mid-year meeting, research education and mentoring initiative sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The two intensive and immersive Summer Institutes and Mid-year 2-day meeting will take place on the University of California, San Diego campus in beautiful La Jolla, CA.  

The RAPID program is only 1 of 2 national faculty programs offered by NIAID that will enhance the success of the participants focusing on three main areas: mentorship, professional skills and research training.  Participants will choose one of three research tracks to be mentored and trained: Host-Pathogen Interactions, HIV or Global Health.

Principal Investigators (PIs) for the RAPID program are Drs. JoAnn Trejo  and Vivian Reznik  and co-PIs, Drs. Victor Nizet, David Smith and Elizabeth Winzeler.