Professional Development Core

The overarching goal of the Professional Development Core (PDC) is to address the unmet need for more diversity in the biomedical research workforce by creating and nationally disseminating transformative, high-impact, professional development programs to support mentees from diverse backgrounds in biomedical/bio-behavioral disciplines.

The PDC offers a series of grant writing programs designed to help researchers currently planning or working on a grant proposal develop professional skills to:

Master grant proposal basics

Prepare grant submissions

Accelerate success in obtaining grant funding

Related Programs: Coaching Groups for Grant Proposal Writing

Our Leadership Team

Kola Okuyemi, MD
University of Utah
Director; PI

In March 2017, Kolawole S. Okuyemi, M.D., M.P.H., was appointed as Professor and Chair for the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of Utah School Of Medicine in Salt Lake City, Utah. He also holds the George D. Gross, M.D. & Esther M. Gross M.D. Presidential Endowed Chair in Family & Preventive Medicine. Prior to coming to Utah, he was at the University of Minnesota Medical School Twin Cities for 11 years where he was Professor and the inaugural Endowed Chair for Health Equity Research in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. While in Minnesota, he was also the Director for the Program in Health Disparities Research as well as Director of Cancer Health Disparities for the Masonic Cancer Center, an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota. He received his medical degree from University of Ilorin, Nigeria, completed a family medicine residency and Master of Public Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas , and a public health research fellowship at the Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Okuyemi’s career in the last 20 years focused on research and programs to improve the health of underserved populations and eliminate health disparities using pharmacological and culturally tailored behavioral interventions as well as community-engaged research approaches. He has been Principal Investigator on several NIH (NCI, NIDA, NHLBI, NIMHD, NIGMS) funded centers as well as research and training grants aimed at reducing cancer-related health disparities especially among African Americans, African Immigrants, and homeless populations.
In September 2014, Dr. Okuyemi was one of 5 Principal Investigators awarded a $22 million NIH grant to establish the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) and serves as PI/Director of NRMN’s Professional Development Core. Dr. Okuyemi has a passion for mentoring and has mentored faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate, and undergraduate students many of whom have progressed to establish their own independent academic, research, or other health professional careers. Dr. Okuyemi has published over 120 peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters.

Meet the Team

Harlan Jones, PhD
University of North Texas Health Science Center
Associate Director; Co-I

Spero Mason, PhD
University of Colorado Denver
Associate Director; Co-I

Richard McGee, PhD
Northwestern University
Associate Director; Co-I

Dedra Buchwald, MD
Washington State University
Co-I

Anne Marie Weber-Main, PhD
University of Minnesota
Co-I

Thad Unold
University of Minnesota
Program Associate

Eileen Harwood, PhD
University of Minnesota
Co-I

Ann Smith, MPH
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Director, UAB MHRC Training Program

Clifford Steer, MD
University of Minnesota
Co-I

Nicole Langford
Northwestern University
Administrative Assistant

Kristin Eide
University of Utah
Program Manager

Kristen Steiner
University of Utah
Public Relations Associate