BUILD PODER

BUILD PODER

Welcome to BUILD PODER!

Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Promoting Opportunities for Diversity in Education and Research (PODER) is a large undergraduate biomedical research training program established in 2014 by a $21.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. Under the auspices of the NIH Diversity Program Consortium (DPC), BUILD PODER is one of ten NIH-funded BUILD sites that train undergraduates to become biomedical researchers. Along with the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) and the Coordination and Evaluation Center (CEC), BUILD sites coordinate their activities and data to develop a national database of best practices.

Why PODER? 
PODER stands for Promoting Opportunities for Diversity in Education and Research. Poder also means “power” or “to be able to" in Spanish. Through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT), we focus on social justice and reducing health disparities in communities. CRT is the basis for many programmatic activities including the student Summer JumpStart program and faculty mentor training. At BUILD PODER, we believe that when we diversify the biomedical workforce, researchers will generate innovative and relevant research questions, methods, and interpretations that will lead to health equity. 

BUILD PODER is sustained by the formation of a new Health Equity Research and Education (HERE) Center that supports 4 cluster-hired faculty members and postdoctoral scholars in engaging undergraduates in biomedical research.

 

In 2014, CSUN was awarded $21.3M to create an experimental undergraduate research training program to increase the diversity in the biomedical workforce. The result was BUILD PODER, a training program for undergraduate students, faculty mentors, research faculty, and our community college partner institutions, guided by critical race theory (CRT, Solórzano & Yosso, 2002) and community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005). In 2019, we were awarded another $18.1M aimed at disseminating and institutionalizing our evidence-based practices. Over the past 8 years, our BUILD PODER team has been working towards these goals. And we wanted to share some student highlights with you.

We are launching the first of the student infographics about the impact of BUILD PODER. You will find five infographics an overview of all CSUN trainees, and one for each of the Biomedically-related Colleges. More infographics on faculty and student-related activities is forthcoming! 

 
Spotlights

BUILD PODER Class of 2018 Pursues Exciting Graduate Educational Careers

June 17, 2018

collage of graduating seniors

The BUILD PODER class of 2018 included over 50 students with exciting plans to continue their higher education journey. From post-baccalaureate experiences to masters and Ph.D programs at universities near and far, this group of alumni will reach their next destinations with the support, knowledge and skills that BUILD PODER provided during their undergraduate college careers. Read more

BUILD PODER Featured in PBS Newshour's STEM Problem Solvers Series

May 24, 2018

Screenshot of Dr. Gabriela Chavira from PBS video

When imagining what a career in STEM might look like for them, students must have examples to draw from of people who look like them. Gabriela Chavira, the program director of BUILD PODER, strives to give students that representation to inspire them. Once paired with a faculty member, students get a chance to do research in the field they are interested in, while closely watching a mentor in action. A group of students from Daniel Pearl Magnet High School were able to document this experience. Read more

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