Norcross Announces More Than $186K for Research Training at Rowan University

CAMDEN, NJ – Today, U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) has awarded a $186,312 grant to Rowan University’s Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (U-RISE) program. The U-RISE program is aimed at providing resources and funding for a diverse pool of students to pursue an education in biomedical research.

“Future scientific breakthroughs depend on our ability to train the next generation of researchers today,” said Congressman Norcross, a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor. “This funding will provide high-quality training to equip Rowan undergraduates with the technical, operational and professional skills they need to succeed in higher-degree programs. This program not only helps encourage greater diversity in the biomedical sciences, it also ensures trainees are better prepared to confront evolving issues. U-RISE at Rowan furthers South Jersey’s name in research, and I look forward to seeing the significant contributions its students will make in the biomedical fields.”

The NIH U-RISE program will support stipends, trainings, tuition, fees and travel expenses for participating students. At Rowan, trainees will focus on research in a number of areas, including pharmacology, physiology and biological chemistry.

“The NIH U-RISE grant is incredibly significant, because it really elevates Rowan University’s development as a research institution,” said Suzanne Bausch, Ph.D., Vice Dean of Rowan University’s College of Science & Mathematics and School of Health Professions. “We have Rowan students going into top-notch graduate programs all across the country. With this grant, we’ll be able to reach out to local high schools and recruit underrepresented students who otherwise may not have the financial resources to pursue a career in biomedical research. A lot of times, these students don’t think research is for them. We’re going to reach out to them and say, ‘Oh, yes, it is.'”

“The U-RISE training grants provide an annual stipend to help students with their living costs, plus money to help with their tuition and fees. They’ll also receive student health coverage and a travel allowance, so they can attend a conference each year,” Bausch added. “Our goal is to get very diverse cohorts, so everybody can learn from one another.”​

HHS is a federal agency created to provide effective health and human services and foster advances in medicine, public health and social services. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of HHS, is the lead federal agency for biomedical and public health research. The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), one of the NIH, is responsible for basic research that expands understanding of biological processes.

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