Table 2:

Strategies employed to enhance scholars’ learning and experience

Program component: HIV Seminar Series
Strategies to tailor program to diverse group of trainees
Repetition	“Just hearing, you know, ‘CD4 T cells’ over and over and over again. It was like, I really knew -- it helps me when I went to do my presentation that I really knew what I was talking about.” Scholar 101 “I thought that was good and I definitely got used to hearing the lingo like ‘U equals U’ and now that’s something that I guess I know[. I]t was interesting to see how they kept coming up with those themes throughout the lectures.” Scholar 105
Tailor HIV knowledge to learner’s level	“That [the HIV seminar] was definitely helpful in just understanding like how the disease works... Like on a really micro level, things that people in my lab kind of assumed that I would learn somewhere else, this is where I was learning it.” Scholar 101
Strategies to increase awareness of the impact of HIV on marginalized communities
Integrating the perspective of an individual with lived HIV experience	“It’s like, ‘hey, here in the city, people are more open to sharing.’ Like, ‘hey, I do have HIV but it’s not the end of the world.’” Scholar 109
Training on use of non-stigmatizing language	“just ways to be more like respectful to the community, instead of just saying… ’oh, this is a gay man’s disease.’ It’s just like, you know, you say, men who have sex with men, you say people with HIV not, you know, there’s certain phrases that are just like more -- like correct.” Scholar 101
Emphasis on disparate impact of HIV on racial and ethnic minority communities	“As such, the seminar made me realize the disproportionate realities of HIV impacting certain ethnic groups and how important it is to address the systematic racism, prejudice, stigma and internal biases to help the ethnic groups.” Scholar 111
Program component: Professional Skills Development
Increasing self-efficacy	“I still think there’s a lot I need to learn to do it, but I think questioning my ability to do it is very different and I don’t think I will question my ability.” Scholar 103
Professional networking	“after the exposure to this program, I feel confident that I could pursue a career in research. I think the support and like the social networking of the mentors in the program made it more likely because I worked alongside with them, I learned about their field, and I’ve seen how they would collaborate with other researchers with their own specific research.” Scholar 111
Program component: Mentored research
Tailoring research project to learner’s level	“It was definitely something new. I’ve never done research in the past, so it was new territory but it was a good experience overall. I definitely learned a lot. I would say my lab was fast-paced, but I was able to catch up but it was a good experience with that.” Scholar 108
Mentor-mentee relationship	“During the course of the program, [Mentor] and I got super close, especially through the [Program] and then also through the shadowing and mentorship opportunities they gave us” Scholar 106
Programs facilitating transition from undergraduate to graduate school
Longitudinal mentorship	“So I’m super grateful to have had them as a mentor and I’m looking forward to also working with them next summer.” Scholar 106