NBME has a long history of contributing to the education and assessment communities with the goal of improving patient care through quality assessment of medical professionals. To further build on our contributions and our commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the medical and assessment professions, we are investing in pathway programs that demonstrate support of developing pathways to the medical profession through recruitment, education and retention of diverse learners. By providing resources to assist programs and building collaborations that aid learners with education, mentorship and resources at a crucial time in their development, we hope to help programs develop and utilize best practices to drive changes in diversity in medical education in the long term and support ASPBP in developing a pathway program community of practice.

To achieve this goal, NBME – in collaboration with the Association of STEMM Pathway and Bridge Programs (ASPBP) — is requesting applications to investigate the effectiveness of strategies that increase the number of underrepresented and traditionally underserved individuals in the medical profession. These grants are intended to support pathway programs across the entire educational continuum. Community-based, elementary to high school and higher education programs are invited to submit applications that focus on evaluating the evidence for success of a particular educational or programmatic intervention strategy in accomplishing the goal of advancing social justice, broader diversity and better health outcomes.

There are three different funding opportunities: 

• Program Grants: Three-year grants between $25,000 - $100,000 per year for programs wanting to evaluate and expand an established intervention strategy or strategies.
• SEED Grants: One-time grants of up to $20,000 for programs wanting to develop the foundation for a rational design of an intervention strategy or strategies.
• Material and Resource Grants: One-time grants of up to $5,000 for programs wanting to improve their curriculum with needed educational resources, such as learning management software, student data management software, educational or learning software.

Eligibility to apply includes not-for-profit organizations and programs or their fiscal sponsors and not-for-profit institutions. 

Initial letters of intent are due by June 17, 2024. After reviewing Letters of Intent, NBME will invite full proposals in early July. Full proposal applications are due by September 3, 2024.

Interested applicants can learn more about the requirements and how to apply at https://www.nbme.org/contributions/pathway-program-grants. 

Your Feedback is Needed

The PBP Wire is hard at work on our next edition! Our theme is How to Set Up a Pathway Program: Getting the funding, picking the location, and obtaining the resources. 

We need you to tell us how you go about the above by filling out this survey. The results of the survey will be utilized for the 6th Volume of the PBP Wire. Clicking submit means you agree to have your responses recorded and analyzed. 

Please answer the survey by Friday, May 31, 2024. The findings will be reported in the next edition.

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

ASPBP has a Town Hall Meeting scheduled with Minneapolis Public Schools and interested mentors on WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 2024, to discuss its upcoming MedWork Program that is launching at the Annual IAMSE Conference in June. This is a reschedule of the meeting that was originally going to take place May 15, 2024. MedWork is a mentorship program which connects high school students with a mentor in health professions. Mentors are committed to work with the mentee for at least one year. MedWork mentors are academics, industry individuals and policy makers with a passion for mentoring future STEMM students. Students participating in MedWork have unique access to mentors around the world with expertise in STEMM. Students set and track career/educational goals and are matched with a mentor based on their specific needs. MedWork is a collaboration between Career & Technical Education (CTE), the Association of STEMM Pathway and Bridge Programs (ASPBP) and the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) to connect students to health and STEMM professionals. Be a part of the official launch of MedWork and join us in supporting the next generation of STEMM professionals! Interested mentors will have the opportunity to meet potential mentees from Minneapolis Public Schools. Let us know if you are interested in serving as a mentor by filling out the form with the QR code below.

Details on the Town Hall are listed below: MedWork Town Hall Wednesday, May 29, 2024 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM EDT/ 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM CDT To join the Zoom Town Hall Meeting, click here. Meeting ID: 850 5842 1953 Passcode: 895825

The Northeastern Region will meet this month on Zoom. By joining, you will have the opportunity to network with others in your region, find out more about the pathway program in your area and be involved! This month's Central Region Meeting that was scheduled for Wednesday, May 15 is canceled. The following is when the Northeastern Region will be meeting and how to join!

ASPBP Northeastern Region Meeting

Date: Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88577513947?pwd=zjV3bHknM1lzyJDCyIMJuANHpQmwRm.1
Meeting ID: 885 7751 3947
Passcode: 129332

Please note that we will be meeting by Zoom Video Conferencing. It would be wonderful if you could join with video. If you would like to be added to the Google Calendar invite, please email support@aspbp.org.

Your leadership, your voice, your organization.
Organizational leadership positions seeking enthusiastic nominees.

This is the last call reminding you that the ASPBP Nominating Committee is currently seeking nominations and self-nominations for President-Elect, Annual Conference Chair, Membership and Internal Communications Chair, Public Relations and Advocacy Chair, and Research and Scholarship Chair,  as well as Western, Central, Southern, Northeastern and International Region Representatives from among the ASPBP membership. We encourage you to consider one of these positions or to nominate someone you feel would be a worthy candidate. You are encouraged to obtain consent before nominating a fellow colleague.

The General Council is the governing body that provides leadership and direction for ASPBP, and all our various programs and activities. Details on each position can be found below.

President-Elect
The President-Elect is the second highest-ranking officer of the Association and shall support the President to advance the work of the Association. At the end of the term, the President-Elect shall assume the office as President of the Association. If the President is temporarily unable to fulfill their duties to the Association, the President-Elect may be appointed Acting President by the General Council. If the President resigns or is unable to fulfill their duties for an extended period, the President-Elect shall become the President, and a new President-Elect shall be elected by a majority vote in a special election of the General Council within 30 days of resignation notice. The President-Elect serves as Chair of the Bylaws Committee. The term of the President-Elect shall be 2 years. 

Annual Conference Chair
The Annual Conference Committee shall oversee the organization and implementation of the annual conference. The Committee will work with the Treasurer to coordinate revenue and expenditures for the meeting.

Membership and Internal Communications Chair
The Membership and Internal Communications Committee shall be responsible for recruiting and maintaining members for the Association. The Committee will work with the Secretary to coordinate membership communications.

Public Relations and Advocacy Chair
The Public Relations and Advocacy Committee shall actively engage with key stakeholders to expand the Association agenda at regional and national meetings, advocate for Association concerns with external organizations, and maintain a social media presence to promote Association goals. The Committee will work with the Secretary to monitor the consistency of communications with partner organizations and the public.

Research and Scholarship Chair
The Research and Scholarship Committee shall work with the Finance Committee to develop and maintain a grant funding program for Association members. The Committee will work with the Treasurer to apply for financial mechanisms to support the Association’s Values, Vision, and Mission.

Regional Representatives
The Regional Representatives serve as Chairs for the membership groups of each listed region. A list of the states and provinces belonging to each region are specified on the Association website. Regional Representatives will hold at least quarterly meetings of their regions, or as needed more frequently, and will inform the General Council of activities that may be of interest to the general association.

If any of these opportunities to expand your influence in STEMM pathway and bridge programs while advancing the work of ASPBP fit your personal career goals, then the Nomination Committee invites you to submit your nomination for one of these positions

To submit your nomination or self-nomination by May 15, 2024, 11:59 PM PDT, please click here. We look forward to hearing from the membership and thank you for your continued commitment to the ASPBP mission.

If you have questions or problems with the form, please email support@aspbp.org.

The ASPBP 2024 Program Committee is proud to announce that the ASPBP 2024 Conference will occur October 1-3, 2024! We will be returning to our virtual format this year.

This year’s conference theme is "NET: Network, Engage, Transform."

We are excited to expand conference programming over three days to increase opportunities for learning and allow for more engagement across the network! Get ready to explore new ideas, meet fresh faces, and discover new ways to grow the success of your pathway or bridge program students!

The calls for abstracts will be sent out soon, so please keep an eye on your inbox for more details.

Thank you,
Vicky Rhine
ASPBP Program Chair

Vicky Rhine

ASPBP is excited to feature Vicky Rhine as the 2024 Program Chair! Below, Rhine talks about what ASPBP means to her, what she is looking forward to about the upcoming conference and more!

Vicky Rhine, 2024 ASPBP Program Chair

What does being a part of ASPBP mean to you?
ASPBP recognizes and supports the work of pathway and bridge program professionals that often goes unacknowledged. I firmly believe that if we want to see increased student success and improved representation in healthcare, we must continue enhancing the curriculum and programming that provides a safety net for students of all needs and backgrounds. ASPBP is that connector for PBP professionals, allowing for collaboration and the sharing of ideas for future innovation. 

Why do you think ASPBP membership is valuable?
 There are very few resources available specifically to PBP professionals. Some conferences address general education, others address healthcare, but rarely has there been a group dedicated to pathway and bridge programming! ASPBP is THE opportunity for groups across the country to work together for this purpose.

What are you most looking forward to with the conference coming up in October?
This year's conference is going to offer increased opportunities for networking and collaboration. As Conference Committee Chair, I am excited to create shared spaces for professionals of the field to meet with one another and identify concrete strategies for improving their pathway and bridge programs. Our conference planning committee is working hard to curate an experience that will build upon the success of previous meetings and accelerate the success of ASPBP and its members!

Anything else about yourself or ASPBP that you want to mention?I thrive on working collaboratively and enjoy any opportunity to work with ASPBP members! If anyone has interest in checking out our conference planning committee or submitting an idea for this year's conference, please reach out to me!
A little about me outside of work: I live in Denver, CO, I spend my summers exploring new hiking trails and my winters developing my ski skills. I have a labradoodle named Phoebe and I am getting married in July! It'll be a busy and exciting 2024!

The 2024 ASPBP Annual Conference is set to take place virtually October 1-3, 2024! Keep checking your email for more information regarding the conference.

The ASPBP March 2024 Webinar, IMPACT the RACE Introduction, will take place at 2 PM EDT on Wednesday, March 27, 2024. The Webinar will be led by Rakesh Patel and Loretta Jackson-Williams, both of the University of Mississippi School of Medicine.

Patel earned a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from St. Joseph’s University, and received his bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin in Kinesiology and Biology. After completing a Management Internship at Neurology and Pain Management Associates (Lillington, NC), Patel obtained a Hospital Administration residency position at UMMC in 2015. After completion of his residency, Patel went on to work in the UMMC Strategic Planning and Business Process Improvement departments, where he provided project management and process improvement support to many of the organization’s senior executives. In 2020, Patel moved to the School of Medicine, where he currently serves as the Director of Business Operations and as Program Manager for the IMPACT the RACE grant project.

Jackson-Williams has always been an educator at heart. Her passion for education has culminated with her current position as the Vice Dean for Medical Education at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. She began her journey in education because of her parents who were both educators in the Mississippi Delta. She grew up in Indianola, MS where she attended the public schools. In 1987 she completed her undergraduate studies at the historic Tougaloo College with a degree in chemistry. While in college she was engaged in the campus and local communities and became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In 1994 she completed her studies at Boston University School of Medicine located in Boston, Massachusetts and earned a doctorate in biochemistry and a medical degree. While in Boston she continued to serve in campus and local communities as she developed advocacy skills as an elected officer for local, regional and national positions with the Student National Medical Association. From Boston she moved to California to complete residency in Emergency Medicine at Highland Hospital in the Alameda County Medical Center of Oakland, CA. After completing a year at Highland Hospital as an attending physician, she and her young family returned to their home state of Mississippi where she has maintained her focus on education in the Department of Emergency Medicine and as an administrator in the SOM.

Wednesday, March 27, 2024 - "IMPACT the RACE Introduction"
Improved Primary Care for the Rural Community through Medical Education

• Developed from a Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) grant awarded to the School of Medicine in 2020, the IMPACT the RACE Rural Track Program is geared to enhance rural medical education for students, with the goal to increase primary care physicians throughout rural communities in Mississippi.
• Focused to fulfill the primary care needs of rural Mississippi, by providing students exemplary education, hands on training, and exposure to these rural communities.

Vision

• Access to primary health care throughout rural communities in Mississippi.

Mission

• IMPACT the RACE is committed to enhance the education of all medical students by exposing the gratification and challenges within primary care in medically underserved communities in rural Mississippi.

To register for the IMPACT the RACE Introduction Webinar, click here.

The ASPBP Nominating Committee is currently seeking nominations and self-nominations for Annual Conference chair as well as Western, Central, Southern, Northeastern and International Region Representatives from among the ASPBP membership. We encourage you to consider one of these positions or to nominate someone you feel would be a worthy candidate. You are encouraged to obtain consent before nominating a fellow colleague.

The General Council is the governing body that provides leadership and direction for ASPBP, and all our various programs and activities. Details on each position can be found below.

Annual Conference Chair
The Annual Conference Committee shall oversee the organization and implementation of the annual conference. The Committee will work with the Treasurer to coordinate revenue and expenditures for the meeting.

Regional Representatives
The Regional Representatives serve as Chairs for the membership groups of each listed region. A list of the states and provinces belonging to each region will be specified on the Association website. Regional Representatives will hold at least quarterly meetings of their regions, or as needed more frequently, and will inform the General Council of activities that may be of interest to the general association.

To submit your nomination or self-nomination by October 13, 2023, 11:59 PM PDT, please click here. We look forward to hearing from the membership and thank you for your continued commitment to the ASPBP mission.

If you have questions or problems with the form, please email support@aspbp.org.

Submit Your Nominations

The ballot for the 2023 proposed Bylaws amendments closes on Saturday. Eleven amendments have been proposed by the ASPBP General Council for clarification of timelines and processes, meeting details, and other necessary changes. For a look at the current bylaws, please click here. We ask that you thoughtfully consider these proposed amendments and cast your ballot by September 23, 2023. 

Members are invited to review the full proposed bylaws revision, linked here. If you have any trouble assessing the proposed changes or any questions, please contact at support@aspbp.org.