Welcome to National PROPEL! We are very excited about the PROPEL model, and hope to find partners who can foster development of PROPEL programs at their own institutions. Please browse our materials to see if this model would fit your needs. Or contact us at [email protected] to schedule a quick chat.

What is PROPEL? PROPEL is a new model for post-baccalaureate programs, initiated at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). PROPEL provides scientific development and career mentorship opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, who are interested in pursuing graduate studies in biomedical sciences.

<aside> 🗣️ Mission: Our Mission is to promote diversity and inclusion in the scientific workforce by providing research experiences and career development opportunities for postbaccalaureate scholars from historically excluded backgrounds as well as those with a demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity in science.

</aside>

How is PROPEL different from other postbac programs? PROPEL offers support and curriculum similar to other postbac programs (like PREP). However, unlike the standard model, in which large funds are required to host a small number of trainees, the funding for PROPEL scholars is distributed institutionally and via NIH Diversity Supplements. PROPEL therefore offers an alternative, and potentially more impactful, model for post-baccalaureate training with the capacity to support an order of magnitude more students. PROPEL@UCSF currently serves over 100 scholars!

<aside> 💡 Learn more about our model in our promotional videos and digital brochure below:

1. PROPEL Post-baccalaureate Research Opportunites to Promote Equity in Learning.mp4

Video 2: How PROPEL is Different
Video 3: UCSF PROPEL: a Cast Study
Video 4: Curriculum Support
Video 5: Mentorship

PROPEL Informational Brochure

</aside>

We are looking to partner with other institutions to spread this model.

What’s needed to start a PROPEL Program at my institution? Here are the basics:

A team of faculty of dedicated faculty leaders
- We find a team of faculty leaders is best as each can specialize in different roles within the program: coordinate outreach and matchmaking, organize and deliver curriculum, manage community events, maintain scholar relations, manage secondary mentors.
An administrator
- This can be an administrator shared with another effort, to start.
A recruitment plan for scholars
- Maybe you already have a postbac program on site you’d like to grow, or you have undergraduates at your institution or a population in mind that you think might benefit from a program like this. Having plan will help you get started.
A recruitment plan for faculty mentors
- Recruiting mentors to PROPEL is just as important as recruiting scholars. Your mentor cohort should aspire to include a breadth of research from departments across your institution and engage a number of faculty with well-funded research programs (especially those with NIH grants eligible for diversity supplements).
A mentorship plan
- We find that scholars who are partnered with faculty trained in mentorship fair the best. A robust mentorship plan is critical to the success of your PROPEL program.

Interested in starting your own PROPEL program?

We can help you put together all of the pieces listed above to get you up and running.

Fill out our Consultation Form

Or contact us at [email protected] to set up a phone or Zoom consultation. The form helps us with information about what you’ve done so far - any amount of information helps.

Identified partners will gain access to our database of planning documents, curriculum materials, and more.