Enhancing Diversity in Alcohol Research (EDAR)

About the EDAR Program

EDAR is a two-year virtual training program that will engage underrepresented (per NIH NOT-OD-20-031) psychology trainees in alcohol research during the transition through internship application and postdoctoral fellowship by: 

• Providing enhanced access to alcohol research
• Offering structured didactic training and mentorship to:
  
  • Develop written application materials and interview skills
  • Enhance professional development and scholarly productivity.
  • Provide networking opportunities
  • Develop trainees' mentoring skills to establish them as near-peer mentors.
• Providing financial support to trainees
• Offering all training activities remotely!

Should I Apply for EDAR?

If you're interested in the EDAR program, you should apply if you meet the following criteria:

• Trainees currently enrolled in a doctoral psychology program that requires an internship year and applying to internship programs this Fall 2024.
• Trainees who are members of an underrepresented group in the biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and social sciences workforce (as defined by NOT-OD-20-031) including:
  • Individuals from racial and/or ethnic backgrounds, including Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islanders.
  • Individuals with disabilities that substantially limit one or more major life activities (i.e., as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990).

  AND / OR

  • Individuals from a family with an annual income below established low-income thresholds published by the U.S. Census Bureau, or those from educational environments such as rural or inner-city communities with demonstrable limitations in educational opportunities necessary to become competitive and prepared for participation in a research career.

Review our Inclusion Criteria and Curriculum (Word doc) for more information.

Apply to EDAR

Applications for the Fall 2024 EDAR Cohort are now closed!

EDAR Program Goals

• Attract URM psychology trainees into internship programs with robust alcohol research training opportunities.
• Retain URM psychology trainees in alcohol research by engaging them in NIAAA-supported T32 programs and providing them the skills to become near-peer mentors.

EDAR Program Provisions

• Culturally competent individual mentoring from established investigators and near-peer mentors, including personalized guidance through the internship and postdoctoral application phases.
• Mentorship focused on the development of an independent alcohol-focused research project (e.g., poster or oral presentation) for presentation at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA).
• Mentorship training to become a near-peer mentor for other trainees interested in alcohol research.
• Didactics on internship and postdoctoral applications (workshopping CVs, application essays, cover letters), professional development, and managing challenges in academia.
• Training in scientific writing (manuscripts, identifying grant mechanisms, grant writing).
• Financial assistance with internship applications, travel to on-site interviews, and financial support to attend the annual RSA conference in the form of annual stipends.
• Networking opportunities with NIAAA-sponsored T32 postdoctoral fellowship program directors and training faculty.
• Bi-annual evaluations with individual mentors and the EDAR Leadership Team.
• Training in the responsible conduct of research through mentorship, CITI course completion, and access to the Core Clinical Research Training (CCRT) course through the South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research Institute.

EDAR Mentors

Click here to view the list of mentors, and their availability.