title: Tapping Underserved Students to Reshape the Biomedical Workforce.
abstract: Low-income and underrepresented minority students remain a largely untapped source of new professionals that are increasingly needed to diversify and strengthen the biomedical workforce. Precollege enrichment programs offer a promising strategy to stop the "leak" in the biomedical pipeline. However, in the era of highly competitive science education funding, there is a lack of consensus about the elements that predict the long-term viability of such programs. In this commentary, the authors review the critical elements that contribute to the long-term viability of university-based precollege biomedical pipeline programs. Successful programs are built on a foundation of responding to local community workforce needs, have access to local universities that provide an organizational home, and offer a direct pipeline to strong undergraduate science training and support for graduate or professional training. Such programs have shown that there are substantial pools of diverse students who can thrive academically when given enrichment opportunities. Replication of pipeline programs with long-term viability will be instrumental in reaching the large numbers of talented underserved students who are needed to diversify and strengthen the biomedical workforce over the coming decades.
authors.affiliation: Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University, Medical School Office Building, 1265 Welch Road, MC 5411, X324, Stanford, California, USA 94305-5411.
authors.forename: Marilyn A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Winkleby
authors.affiliation: Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University, Medical School Office Building, 1265 Welch Road, MC 5411, X324, Stanford, California, USA 94305-5411.
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ned
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Stanford University, 211 Quarry Road, Suite 405, MC 5985, Palo Alto, California, USA 94304-1426.
authors.forename: Casey
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Crump
keywords: career choice; education; minority groups; science