The Virginia Commonwealth University Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (VCU PREP) aims to increase the number of underrepresented PhD students in the US (for example, African Americans, Latinx/Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, students with disabilities, etc.). Students participate in a year-long intensive mentored research experience in an area of biomedical research of their choice, and receive coaching and preparation to take the GRE and apply to PhD programs. Eighty-five percent of trainees immediately enter a graduate program upon completing VCU PREP. Additional program information is included in our brochure on the VCU Center on Health Disparities website at https://healthdisparities.vcu.edu/. The on-line application is also available there, under the Research & Training tab under Post-Baccalaureate Programs.
VCU PREP candidates must be US citizens, US permanent residents, or US nationals to be eligible for the program. Candidates must have earned a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent at the time of enrollment (July 1, 2019), and no more than 36 months prior to their selection for participation. An undergraduate cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 is generally expected for VCU PREP scholars.
VCU PREP is funded by the National Institutes of Health, and provides scholars with a salary of $27,000 for July 1, 2019-June 30, 2020.
The application should include: undergraduate transcripts, 3 letters of recommendation from teachers or research mentors, and a personal statement demonstrating a commitment to a career in biomedical research. The supplementary materials (letters and transcripts) can be sent by email to cohdtraining@vcuhealth.org. Unofficial transcripts may be used for the application, but to be admitted to the program, official transcripts are required.
The deadline to receive complete applications, including transcripts and letters of reference, is March 15, 2019. If you have questions about the application process, please contact Ms. Khiana Meade at cohdtraining@vcuhealth.org. If you have questions about research in the biomedical sciences at VCU, please contact the VCU PREP Program Director, Dr. Joyce Lloyd, at joyce.lloyd@vcuhealth.org