Society of Pediatric Psychology Diversity Award: Training Underrepresented Minority Students in Psychology

Abstract

Improving diversity, particularly among trainees and professionals from underrepresented ethnic minority backgrounds, has been a long-stated goal for the field of Psychology. Research has provided strategies and best practices, such as ensuring cultural sensitivity and relevance in coursework, clinical and research training, promoting a supportive and inclusive climate, providing access to cultural and community opportunities, and increasing insight and cultural competence among professionals (Rogers & Molina, 2006). Despite this, the rates of psychologists from ethnically diverse and underrepresented minority (URM) backgrounds remain low and few published studies have described programmatic efforts to increase diversity within the field. This paper describes the INNOVATIONS training model, which provides community and culturally related research experiences, graduate-school related advising, and mentoring to high school and college students. The paper also examines how the model may support enrollment of URM students in doctoral programs in psychology. Findings indicate that INNOVATIONS supported students’ transition from high school and college to graduate programs (with approximately 75% of students enrolling in Master’s and Doctoral programs). INNOVATIONS also supported students, including those from URM backgrounds, enrolling in doctoral programs (41.7%). Students who were trained in the research assistant track were most likely to enroll in psychology doctoral programs, perhaps as a result of the intensive time and training committed to research and clinical experiences. Data support the importance of research training for URM students pursuing psychology graduate study and the need to ensure cultural relevance of the training. Implications for clinical and pediatric psychology are discussed.

Improving diversity, particularly among trainees and professionals from underrepresented ethnic minority backgrounds, has been a long-stated goal for me and the field of Psychology. In 2002, the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Council of Representatives approved its Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice and Organizational Change for Psychologists (APA, 2003). This document offered six guidelines for enhancing multiculturalism and diversity in psychology. These guidelines highlight the importance of ensuring sensitivity/responsiveness to diversity and multicultural issues, enhancing personal insight, knowledge, and understanding, and applying multiculturalism and diversity to training, research, and clinical practice (APA, 2003). A decade later, in 2013, APA released a Diversity Implementation Plan, the goal of which is to ensure that diversity is an integral part of APA’s structure and functions (APA, 2013). This plan includes five goals, including ensuring that psychology is “welcoming” to diverse groups, expanding diversity in the training of psychologists, and ensuring diversity in psychological research and practice (APA, 2013).

According to the most recent data, approximately 16.4% of active psychologists are from racially/ethnically diverse backgrounds (i.e. Asian, Black/African-American, Hispanic and other racial/ethnic groups), rates that nearly doubled from the previous decade when rates were 8.9% (APA, 2015). The numbers of active psychologists who were from underrepresented minority (URM) racial and ethnic backgrounds (i.e. African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native) was even lower, with rates of active psychologists increasing from approximately 7.4% to 12% within the same period (APA, 2015). The increase is attributable to the increased number of URM students entering the field of psychology; recent data from the APA and the National Science Foundation (NSF) (APA, 2011; NSF, 2014) indicate that URM enrollment has increased by more than 20% since 2001.

Progress to date has been the result of strategic efforts in the field. The Commission on Ethnic Minority Recruitment, Retention and Training in Psychology (CEMRATAT) wrote a pivotal report (APA, 1997), summarizing existing data and research on barriers that discourage or prevent persons from URM groups from entering or continuing in the field of Psychology. This report discussed effective strategies for recruiting and retaining individuals from URM groups, including identifying academically talented ethnic minority students, enhancing students understanding of the requirements and application process for graduate school, ensuring students transition from high school to college to graduate school and post-doctoral training, and identifying appropriate and needed financial aid resources (APA, 1997). Consistent with numerous published studies, the report emphasizes the importance of ensuring cultural sensitivity and cultural relevance in coursework, clinical experiences, and research opportunities and the importance of providing a supportive learning climate and access to diverse communities (Maton & Hrabowski, 2004; Rogers & Molina, 2006; Thurston, Gray & Pulgaron, 2015).

In addition to strategies endorsed by APA, research in psychology and other fields has documented the importance of making personal contacts between individuals from URM groups and faculty of color to recruit potential students (Rogers & Molina, 2006). Other effective strategies for increasing the number of URMs in the recruitment pool include recruiting from the larger institution/university that houses the department/program, developing relationships with historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and ensuring that recruitment materials are tailored for the interests of ethically and culturally diverse students (Rogers & Molina, 2006). Pipeline programs have been found to be important tools for improving diversity in graduate training and in the field at large and these programs may also enhance interest in psychology among URM students (Rogers & Molina, 2006; Brunson, Jackson, Sinkford & Valachovic, 2010; Brooks Carthon, Nguyen, Chittams, Park & Guevara, 2014). These programs may be most effective when students from diverse and URM backgrounds are making critical decisions about curricular studies and career pathways (Gándara & Maxwell-Jolly, 1999).

This paper describes the INNOVATIONS high school and college training model developed and directed by Dr. Lori Crosby and myself to improve the training, recruitment, and retention of URM students in psychology. INNOVATIONS, is a program within Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, in the Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, whose mission is to partner with community and health organizations to conduct outcomes-based research and program evaluations. INNOVATIONS uses emerging best practices to train underrepresented minority high school and college students, many of whom are interested in careers in psychology or related fields. In the past 10 years, INNOVATIONS has trained approximately 50 high school and college students, most of whom pursued graduate studies. This paper describes the INNOVATIONS training model which involves: (1) ensuring that trainees have the experience and skills needed for success in graduate school (e.g., data analysis, scientific writing); (2) providing trainees with culturally and community relevant research experiences; (3) supporting trainees through the process of applying for graduate school; and (4) providing trainees with support and mentoring throughout their academic career and transition to graduate school. In addition, we examine how the INNOVATIONS training model may support enrollment of URM students in doctoral programs in psychology.

Methods

INNOVATIONS Training Model and Recruitment

Students are eligible for the INNOVATIONS program from their senior year in high school through their last year of college (the summer after graduation). Students/trainees are recruited into the INNOVATIONS lab and training program through various methods including a) general emails/program descriptions that highlight that the research focuses on community and social determinants of health ); b) referrals from colleagues, community partners or other institutions; c) face to face contacts at college visits made by INNOVATIONS Co-Directors or medical center staff who are recruiting broadly for college interns or research assistants; and d) social media (e.g. Linked In). Some trainees have also been recruited after networking events with area colleges, HBCUs, and local high schools. INNOVATIONS has also created innovative and effective partnerships with on-site university and medical center programs that serve high numbers of URM students (Work Study, McNair Scholars Program, Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship [SURF], and Biomedical Research Program for Underrepresented Minority Students [BRIMS]) to increase awareness and generate interest in research training in psychology.

The INNOVATIONS program selects potential students based on their application, interview, and fit with the lab, including interest in learning and potential to work on a team. Once selected, INNOVATIONS trainees are enrolled into one of four training pathways/tracts (see Table 1) based on their academic level (e.g. high school, college, graduate, postdoctoral), affiliation with academic programs (e.g. work study, McNair, BRIMS, etc.) and level of experience (e.g. a student with no research experience and just graduated with a bachelor’s degree might be enrolled into the summer internship program rather than a research assistant position). Pathways include: (a) work study training programs that provide research experiences as students earn money while in college during an academic year; (b) college volunteer program that offers training as part of ongoing research projects with experiences in data management and program evaluation during an academic year; (c) the high school or college summer internship program that provides training, research experience, and job shadowing; and (d) research assistant work experience and training which is intensive research and lab management experiences, with additional opportunities for professional and leadership development that lasts for one to three years. If trainees are affiliated with another institutional program (e.g. BRIMS, McNair, etc.), they receive training in skills critical to success as a graduate student (e.g. writing an abstract, conducting and organizing a literature review, evaluating research articles).

Table 1.

INNOVATIONS training pathways/tract and training activities

	Graduate School Preparation			Other Training Support
Training Tract/Pathway	Research/Community Research Experience	Support with Letters, Interviews, etc.	Mentoring and Supportive Climate	Presentations and Publications	Health Seminars	Job Shadowing	Leadership Development
Work Study Student	X	X	X
College Volunteer	X	X	X*
High School or College Intern	X	X	X		X	X
Research Assistant	X	X	X		X	X	X

^*Optional; some college students work with INNOVATIONS as part of their Senior Thesis or Capstone Project.

Depending on the students’ program and track, they may receive more intensive training experiences. Students may also move from one track to another over time (e.g. from high school to college volunteer to research assistant).

Best Practices Incorporated into INNOVATIONS Training Model

Students participating in each of INNOVATIONS tracks receive important training and support consistent with best practices for supporting the transition of URMs to graduate study in psychology.

Research Experiences and Participation in Community and Cultural Research

Research experience is a critical component of the INNOVATIONS training experience. Trainees receive didactic instruction in research competencies and mentoring from senior students, staff and co-directors. Every trainee learns to create databases, enter data, recode data and analyze data using statistical software (e.g., SPSS). More advanced students will learn complex skills, including how to develop data tables, prepare data for reports/presentations, and write an abstract or co-author a manuscript. Through partnerships with community-level initiatives, INNOVATIONS has access to large datasets, which affords students unique opportunities to build strong analytic skills that prepare them for graduate school. A key component of the INNOVATIONS training model is that projects allow for students to integrate social, cultural, and/or community variables as part of their behavioral and mental health research projects. All students develop an individualized training plan that describes their research and career goals, and the skills needed to reach those goals. This plan is developed in partnership with INNOVATIONS staff or faculty through an individual meeting in the first month after enrollment. These plans are essential to students’ transition to graduate programs as they ensure that the trainees participate in research activities that make them competitive for graduate school or their career path. Plans are reviewed in the middle of the training experience and near the end but students are encouraged to continually monitor their progress and update their accomplishments. In this way, students gain strong research experiences, which doctoral programs value highly when reviewing applicants (Norcross, Kohout, & Wicherski, 2005).

Preparation for Graduate School Application Process

INNOVATIONS provides technical and navigational support to students who decide to apply to graduate school. The process includes assessing the student’s goals for and working with them as they apply to programs that align with their goals. Students are encouraged to apply to a range of schools, including programs that are realistic based on admissions criteria and their strengths (Norcross, Kohout, & Wicherski, 2005). Students are encouraged to take GRE prep courses, and if they are still in college, achieve as high a GPA as possible to increase their competitiveness. INNOVATIONS Co-Directors and other program mentors advise students on their personal statements and complete mock interviews. Students in summer internship programs may participate in formal seminars offered by the medical center or university to enhance GRE prep, etc. Advising also addresses specific challenges, barriers and/or opportunities related to the graduate school application process (e.g. assessing and addressing gaps, managing application fees, travel to schools, etc.). Finally, one of the Co-Directors writes a letter of recommendation outlining the research strengths for all students applying to graduate school.

Mentoring and Supportive Lab Climate

A strength of the INNOVATIONS lab, consistent with documented best practice strategies, is the commitment of the Co-Directors and program staff to mentoring students, including URMs. This commitment involves ensuring an inclusive culture through regular lab meetings where students discuss their projects, lab “lunches” or gatherings to value collective expertise (e.g., lunch with the INNOVATIONS team and former trainees, etc.), and celebratory events to recognize individual accomplishments and teamwork (e.g., student poster presentations, student acceptance to graduate school). Students also receive weekly one-on-one mentoring and/or tutoring with graduate students and/or faculty (graduate students, fellows or Co-Directors). The goal of these mentoring activities is to support students in meeting important milestones such as graduating from college or completing the INNOVATIONS training program. Professional seminars are provided within the lab and taught by program staff or graduate students (e.g. data management and analysis, health disparities seminar). Professional development issues such as timeliness, teamwork or confidence are also addressed as needed. All trainees are asked to develop academic–related goals (e.g. completing their degree, obtaining a specific GPA in their major, completing the graduate school application process) in addition to developing research and career goals.

Other Training Support and Opportunities

Depending on the level of training and program, other supports and opportunities are made available and encouraged. Trainees completing summer internships or research assistantships have opportunities to shadow psychologists or other professionals engaging in clinical practice or research. Some trainees also gain additional clinical experiences that can help to prepare them for graduate school such as working on a clinically based study as an interviewer or being trained as a focus group facilitator. Finally, as part of their community-based experiences, many students attend site visits at community mental health clinics, schools, health departments, and similar sites which contributes to their understanding of psychology, behavioral and public health in a real-world context.

Results

Approximately 50 (N = 47) high school, college, and post-baccalaureate students completed the training program over the past 10 years (2006–2016). Although the program has a commitment to training URMS, non-URMS have been accepted into the program if they have an expressed interest in conducting health disparities research, a passion for working in communities, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Of the 47 trainees who completed one of the four tracks within INNOVATIONS, 36 applied and enrolled in a graduate school program (76.5% of students who were trained). Four of the 47 students (8.5%) began their INNOVATIONS training as high school students. See Figure 1 for a Flow Diagram displaying the progression of INNOVATIONS trainees into Masters and Doctoral programs. Of the 36 trainees who attended graduate school, 15 are enrolled in or have completed doctoral programs in psychology; 41.7% of the students trained are/were in doctoral programs in Psychology). Nearly all of the students in psychology are in the field of clinical psychology (14 of 15), with one (1) student completing a degree in forensic psychology. Six (6) students are completing or have completed doctoral degrees in fields other than psychology such as medicine, law, biomedical sciences. Another 15 students have enrolled in or have completed Master’s programs (in psychology or other fields). All 36 trainees (100%), including URMs have either completed degrees (21 of 36 or 58%) or are on track for graduation (15 of 36 or 42%). To date, 31 students (81.4%) have presented their work at seminars or conferences and seven students (19.4%) published their work in peer-reviewed journals. To our knowledge, no student completing the INNOVATIONS training program with an expressed goal of applying to graduate school in Psychology or other fields has failed to be accepted into a Master’s or Doctoral program. Table 2 provides a description of the transition to graduate school for two INNOVATIONS trainees. An examination of the INNOVATIONS tracks trainees participated in prior to enrolling in graduate school revealed that 9 of 15 (60%) of those accepted into psychology doctoral programs completed the Research Assistant program and six of the nine students were URMs (African-American). Three of 15 students accepted into doctoral programs in psychology (20%) completed the summer internship tract and all of the students were URMs. No URMs completing the least intensive program in terms of hours (college work-study) obtained doctoral degrees in psychology. Table 3 summarizes time spent in training, average duration of the training, and average duration of training by INNOVATIONS Training Program/Tract.

Figure 1.

INNOVATIONS’ Trainees in Masters and Doctoral programs. Please note that 11 trainees completed the INNOVATIONS training program but were excluded from Figure 1 for the following reasons: a) not applicable/no plans to attend graduate school (n = 6); e.g. military, bachelor’s degree is terminal degree for career path [mental health case worker]0; b) competitive for graduate school but decided to take a different career path (n = 4; e.g. entrepreneur; completing nursing degree); c) in the process of applying to graduate school (n = 1).

Table 2.

Description of the Transition to Graduate School for two INNOVATIONS Trainees

Case #	Recruitment Pathway, Initial Track, Training/Skills Received & Transition to Graduate School
1	Recruitment Pathway: NT, a URM female and senior at a local university, applied for a Research Assistant (RA) position within INNOVATIONS in response to an announcement. Initial Track: She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and had two years of research experience with psychology labs so was enrolled into the Research Assistant track. Training/Skills: During her time as a RA, she provided lab and research management support for two federally funded projects, made national presentations and published. Transition to Graduate School: After two years as an RA, she applied and was accepted to clinical psychology programs. She is on track to apply for internship and graduate on time.
2	Recruitment Pathway: GF, a URM female, senior high school student, learned about INNOVATIONS from a contact within the medical center. Initial Track: She began her training with INNOVATIONS after graduating from high school (summer high school intern track). Secondary Track: She returned to INNOVATIONS during the summers after her freshman and sophomore years in college before solidifying her major in Psychology (college summer intern track). Training/Skills: During her training she learned data management and analysis skills, received formal training in how to apply to graduate school (e.g. write effective personal statements, study for the GRE, etc.) Transition to Graduate School: After her senior year in college, she applied to and was accepted into graduate school in Clinical Psychology and successfully completed the program.

Table 3.

Summary of INNOVATIONS training program/pathway

Training Pathway/Tract	Training Time per week	Length of Training Program	Average Duration/Training	Roles, Responsibilities and Training
College Work-Study Student	5–10 hours/week	9 months	1–2 years	Data entry, support lab and research functions
College Volunteer	10–20 hours/week	9 months	1–2 years	Data entry, data management, data analysis, support lab and research functions, some students complete independent research projects
High School or College Summer Intern (Paid)	40 hours/week	8–12 weeks	1–4 summers	Data entry, data analysis, support lab and research functions, all students receive formal research training and complete independent or group research projects
Research Assistant	40 hours/week	12 months	2–3 years	Data analysis, Data management, Lab and Research management, Formal research and professional development training, most students complete independent research projects, present their work and/or publish

Discussion

The percentage of Psychologists from diverse backgrounds has been increasing over the past decade, but remains significantly below population rates: 16.4% of Psychologists are from culturally diverse backgrounds and 12.1% from underrepresented minority backgrounds (5.3% Black/African-American, 5% Hispanic; APA, 2015). Emerging research has provided best practices and strategies for recruiting and retaining diverse students into psychology and graduate programs, including enhancing the cultural relevance of coursework, clinical experiences, research opportunities, providing a supportive learning environment/academicclimate, and improving access to diverse communities (Rogers & Molina, 2006). Improving cultural competence and fostering personal insights into bias are also important to engaging trainees and future professionals from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds. Despite well-cited guidelines and recommendations, very few systematic efforts to implement strategies to increase diversity in psychology graduate programs and in the field have been published in the literature. This paper describes the INNOVATIONS training model and how it has applied best practices for recruiting and retaining URM students into the field of psychology.

The INNOVATIONS’ community research and training missions were integrated to enhance the programs’ ability to recruit diverse and URM students into the field of psychology. The INNOVATIONS training model was designed to provide experiences that graduate programs value in their competitive review (e.g. research experiences, presentations, abstracts, publications; Norcross, Kohout & Wicherski, 2005). The program also works to demystify “research” and “psychology” by providing experiences to examine data with social, cultural, and community relevance in a real-world context (E. Turner & T. Turner, 2015).

The findings suggest that the INNOVATIONS program was successful in transitioning 36 of 47 students to graduate programs, including 22 URM students to master’s level programs and 14 URM students to doctoral programs. URM students who most likely to enroll in psychology doctoral programs were those who completed the Research Assistant track. This was likely due to the intensity of the training, providing students with a high level of skills and competencies that prepared them for graduate study in comparison to the other tracks.

The INNOVATIONS model and current program evaluation are not without limitations. Students/trainees participated in the INNOVATIONS program, on average, for one to three summers (in the case of a summer intern) or two to three years, in the case of a research assistant. Therefore, the program may only be one of several factors that helped students successfully transition to graduate school. Students likely participated in a range of curricular and extracurricular activities that helped them prepare for graduate school and determine their career path. Limitations to the data and tracking are also acknowledged. There is more data available for students who successfully transitioned to graduate school versus those who did not. This is because students transitioning needed letters of recommendation and generally had more contacts with the program. For this reason, some students may have made a successful transition without our knowledge. There may have also been students who did not benefit the training program as intended. It should also be noted that not all students went to graduate school in psychology. Many students obtain obtained degrees in complementary fields such as public health, public administration, law, criminal justice, rehabilitation science, and education, and most remain in health or behavioral health–related positions. Outcomes for some students who did not transition into graduate programs in Psychology are known. One student graduated from law school and is working in a program management position, two are research assistants in hospitals, one has been serving as a mental health caseworker for a social service organization, another is serving in the military in a staff position, and another has started an eatery business. Obtaining more comprehensive follow up data on all students trained, including their perceptions of their INNOVATIONS training experience, how it benefited their transition to graduate study or a career, and ways to improve the program is a next step. Finally, and consistent with trends in the profession, the majority of students trained by INNOVATIONS were female (85%). Different strategies may be needed to attract males to psychology, especially URM males.

Despite the limitations, there are some positive implications based on the findings of this evaluation. APA has a vision of ensuring a critical mass of ethnic minority students, and ultimately professionals, required to address effectively the service and research needs of communities of color (APA, 1997). A first step in developing this critical mass is to make sure that URM students are well integrated in research labs on colleges and universities as work-study students, summer interns, and most importantly as research assistants. If these students can obtain experience in conduction research, developing scientific presentations, and co-authoring publications, then they will be more competitive for graduate programs contributing to the positive trend of increased diversity in the field.

The findings of this study have particular implications for clinical and pediatric psychology. Given documented health and mental health disparities in youth, it is important that ensuring diversity in training and within the profession be a priority (Thurston, Gray & Pulgaron, 2015). Increasing diversity is important, as URMs are more likely than non-URMs to pursue training and professional pathways that address mental health, and related social and economic disparities that often stem from systems and policy issues that influence behavioral and mental health (Satcher, 2008; Scharff & Kreuter, 2000). One strategy for recruiting URM and diverse students could include expanding existing studies to include demographic and contextual variables (race, ethnicity, neighborhood, zip code, school, etc.) or allowing for cognitive and behavioral frameworks to include systems or socioecological perspectives (understanding the family, community, policy issues). Current funding opportunities could also be used to support diversity initiatives. For example, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Minority Supplement awards can be used to fund graduate students, fellows, and faculty to complete an independent research project related to an R-level or similarly funded grant mechanism. There are also special training grants to support URM and diversity training, including the Programs to Increase Diversity among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research (PRIDE).

The intersection of clinical and pediatric psychology and public health presents an opportunity to generate new interest in the field among URM trainees, many of whom have interests in addressing disparities and working in communities. Increasingly, psychologists are working to improve behavioral change at the community and population health levels (e.g., improve obesity in schools or neighborhoods, increasing adherence to asthma medications across pediatric practices, etc.), often combining evidence based practices in behavioral intervention with skills in community engagement and communication.

Ultimately, if increased diversity is to be achieved in psychology and in pediatric psychology, it will require psychologists to be open to new ideas, new ways of thinking and new models. We will also need to invest additional time, mentoring, and resources to ensure that diverse and underrepresented minority students have access to experiences and research opportunities that are supportive, inclusive and community-focused.