NIH Recognizes Miller School Faculty Member for Mentoring Expertise

The National Institutes of Health has funded a University of Miami Miller School of Medicine faculty member through its Helping to Accelerate Research Potential (HARP) UE5 grant program. The grant’s aim is to pair newly funded researchers nationwide with experienced mentors.

This multiple-PI five-year grant will be directed by Alessia Fornoni, M.D., Ph.D., Katz Professor of Medicine and chief of the Katz Family Division of Nephrology and Hypertension. Dr. Fornoni will lead and oversee the project and mentor researchers from outside the University of Miami while creating a mentoring curriculum to help experienced researchers looking to refine their mentoring skills.

A Reflection of Mentoring Success

The grant reflects Dr. Fornoni’s success as a funded researcher and commitment to mentoring, with an emphasis on mentoring students and researchers from diverse backgrounds. 

Dr. Fornoni received the University of Miami’s Best Graduate School Mentor of the Year Award in 2016, the Provost’s Award for Scholarly Activities in 2018, and the Women in Academic Medicine Leadership Award in 2019. This year, she was inducted into the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida. Her trainees occupy key academic and industry positions in five different continents.

She also co-directs the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CSTI)/Mentored Translational Research Scholars Program Award (K12) and a NIH T35-funded summer program for first-year medical students at the Miller School.

Dr. Fornoni says the HARP grant will allow her to promote the vertical integration of the many mentoring programs with which she is involved.

“My overarching goal is to promote inclusiveness, equity and diversity by engaging everybody—from high schoolers in our community to junior faculty at this and other institutions—with the intention of helping to propel their careers,” Dr. Fornoni said.  

Yet another example of the University of Miami’s commitment to mentoring and educating future researchers is the National Cancer Institute-sponsored Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program, which immerses students from diverse backgrounds in hands-on, innovative biomedical lab research.

According to NIH.gov, “Every facet of the United States scientific research enterprise—from basic laboratory research to clinical and translational research to policy formation—requires superior intellect, creativity and a wide range of skill sets and viewpoints. NIH’s ability to help ensure that the nation remains a global leader in scientific discovery and innovation is dependent upon a pool of highly talented scientists from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups, who will help to further NIH’s mission. Research shows that diverse teams working together and capitalizing on innovative ideas and distinct perspectives outperform homogenous teams.”

Tags: Desai Sethi Urology Institute, Dr. Alessia Fornoni, National Institutes of Health