Collaborating to Create a Research Training Program for Underrepresented Students: Insights and Strategies for Developing and Sustaining a Multi-Institutional Consortium

Authors

• MacKenzie J. Gray, Portland State University
• Dara Shifrer, Portland State UniversityFollow
• De’Sha S. Wolf, Portland State University
• Olivia M. Ainsworth, Portland State University
• Rosemary A. Fama, Portland State University
• Roberto P. Anitori, Clark College, Vancouver
• Ernest Blackwell, Clackamas Community College, Oregon City
• Tracey K. Burke, University of Alaska Anchorage
• Carlos J. Crespo, University of Illinois Chicago
• Derek Helsham, American Samoa Community College, Pago Pago
• Travis Kibota, Biology Department, Clark College, Vancouver, WA, United States
• Alissa Leavitt, Portland Community College, Portland
• Beylul Solomon, Northern Marianas College, Saipan
• Thomas E. Keller, Portland State University

Published In

Frontiers in Education

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-31-2026

Abstract

Introduction

In 2014, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) invested in the Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) initiative to enhance diversity in the biomedical research workforce. As one of ten grantees nationwide, the BUILD EXITO project at Portland State University established an institutionally and geographically diverse consortium including local community colleges, a research-intensive medical institution, and universities and community colleges around the Pacific Rim. The goal of this collaboration was to support comprehensive research training for undergraduates from backgrounds historically underrepresented in the biomedical workforce. This manuscript aims to provide insights into creating and sustaining a large-scale multi-institutional consortium.MethodsUsing a collaborative and reflective approach, this study presents a collective account of developing and sustaining a decade-long equity-focused partnership. The authors, all deeply involved in the partnership, participated in a series of semi-structured conversations designed to elicit strategies and lessons learned for building and sustaining multi-institutional collaborations.ResultsThree main themes arose from the reflections on core strategies for creating and maintaining the partnership: 1) having a robust framework for diverse, equitable, and inclusive partnership, 2) equitable, flexible opportunities for goal setting and program implementation, and 3) planning for sustainability from the beginning. Obstacles faced throughout the decade-long partnership include the retention of all partners and the tension between institutional buy-in and the pursuit of external funding. Finally, the Partners defined two lessons learned from the EXITO experience: 1) the importance of a critical mass of stakeholders, and 2) the need to expand institutional leadership teams for partner sustainability.DiscussionWhile working across institutional boundaries may present challenges, multi-institutional partnerships allow for a broader reach to diverse student populations and create meaningful access to opportunities that may not otherwise exist. The EXITO infrastructure serves as a model for developing and sustaining partnerships for equity-focused student programs.

Rights

Copyright (c) 2026 The Authors

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.3389/feduc.2026.1750159

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44588

Publisher

Frontiers Media SA

Citation Details

Gray, M. J., Shifrer, D., Wolf, D. S., Ainsworth, O. M., Fama, R. A., Anitori, R. P., Blackwell, E., Burke, T. K., Crespo, C. J., Helsham, D., Kibota, T., Leavitt, A., Solomon, B., & Keller, T. E. (2026). Collaborating to create a research training program for underrepresented students: insights and strategies for developing and sustaining a multi-institutional consortium. Frontiers in Education, 11.