Program Specifics

The Louisiana Center for Advancing Underrepresented Scientists’ Careers in Health, Nutrition, Obesity, and Disparities Research (LAUNCHED) is a comprehensive program designed to provide mentorship, training, and career development opportunities for underrepresented minority scientists in nutrition, obesity, diabetes, and related research. The goal of LAUNCHED is to increase the success rate of underrepresented minority scientists being awarded research funding.

Program Overview

LAUNCHED is a two-year program that will provide cohort scholars mentorship, training, grant writing opportunities, didactic instruction, and a Pilot and Feasibility program. The goal of LAUNCHED is to increase the success rate of underrepresented minority scientists being awarded research funding. Cohort scholars will follow an individual development plan designed to help them achieve the following activities and more:

What to Expect from the LAUNCHED Cohort Scholar Program
Create an individual development plan Publish journal articles Submit pilot and feasibility grant application Participate in grant writing webinar series Participate in regular mentoring and peer coaching meetings Receive professinal career coaching sessions Present research Submit reasearch to mock study section Attend research methods seminar series Attend and present at an annual meeting Join NIDDK's Network for Minority Health Research Investigators (NMRI)

What to Expect from the LAUNCHED Cohort Scholar Program

Create an individual development plan
Publish journal articles
Submit pilot and feasibility grant application
Participate in grant writing webinar series
Participate in regular mentoring and peer coaching meetings
Receive professinal career coaching sessions
Present research
Submit reasearch to mock study section
Attend research methods seminar series
Attend and present at an annual meeting
Join NIDDK's Network for Minority Health Research Investigators (NMRI)

Mentoring

We have selected an outstanding group of skilled mentors with extensive experience conducting diabetes, nutrition, obesity, and health-disparities research. Each LAUNCHED cohort scholar will establish a mentoring team consisting of a primary mentor and two secondary mentors.

Meet Our Mentors

Pilot and Feasibility

The Pilot and Feasibility program specifically focuses on providing funding related to diabetes, obesity, and nutrition research. The LAUNCHED program will award up to $50,000 in Pilot and Feasibility funding to our cohort scholars and eligible underrepresented ethnic scientists.

Apply to the LAUNCHED Pilot & Feasibility Program