Newswise — UT Southwestern Medical Center has been selected as the nation’s first academic medical center to participate in the American Chemical Society (ACS) Bridge program, designed to increase the number of Black, Latino, and Indigenous students earning doctorates in chemistry.

UT Southwestern is the 12th Bridge site to receive the ACS designation, which provides funding, mentoring, and other support services to enable students from underrepresented minority groups to successfully complete their doctorate degrees in chemistry.

“Our hope is that having a program like this will serve as a pipeline for the future,” said Uttam Tambar, Ph.D., Professor of Biochemistry, Director of Diversity for Biochemistry, and Chair of the Organic Chemistry Ph.D. Program in the UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Underrepresented minority groups make up one-third of college students, yet earn about 18% of the baccalaureate degrees, 14% of master’s degrees, and 11% of doctorates, according to the ACS.

“Many students lack research experience due to having to work during their college years, family responsibilities, lack of awareness of careers in STEM, lack of role models, etc.,” said Arnaldo Díaz Vázquez, Ph.D., Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion in the Graduate School and Assistant Professor of Pharmacology. “This program enables participants to fully engage in research for the first time, reinforce their previous experience, or explore new areas of research.”

Dr. Tambar holds the Bonnie Bell Harding Professorship in Biochemistry and is a W.W. Caruth, Jr. Scholar in Biomedical Research.

About UT Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern, one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty has received six Nobel Prizes, and includes 26 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 17 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 2,900 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in more than 80 specialties to more than 100,000 hospitalized patients, more than 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 4 million outpatient visits a year.