208 Readiness and Preparation for Informatics and Data Science Careers (RAPID): A summer program to expose undergraduate students to careers in clinical translational research

Objectives/Goals: By offering a summer program that provides foundational training in data science and health equity concepts, as well as their practical applications in clinical translational research (CTR), we seek to enhance awareness and self-efficacy of undergraduate students from diverse majors to career opportunities in clinical translational research. Methods/Study Population: Rapid is a 7-week summer training program for undergraduate students from diverse majors. The RAPID curriculum is comprised of 5 key components: 1) didactic training in data science skills and health equity principles, 2) application of skills in a research practicum, 3) exposure to examples of CTR, 4) clinical shadowing, and 5) professional development and career networking. To date, RAPID has had 2 student cohorts complete the program during the summers of 2024 and 2025 ( N = 10). Each cohort was comprised of 5 students from various undergraduate majors (table 1). Admission to the program is based on GPA, letters of recommendation, and letter of interest. Results/Anticipated Results: For the summer 2025 cohort, we received 40 applications for 5 available positions in RAPID. We conducted pre- and post-program surveys to assess student confidence in 4 key research competencies. The scoring system for student confidence was as follows: 5 – extremely, 4 – very, 3 – moderately, 2 – slightly, and 1 – not confident. Student confidence in Data Science Research increased from 2.1 to 3.9, in Health Equity Research from 2.1 to 4.6, in Scientific Research from 3.1 to 3.9, and in Science Identity from 3.4 to 4.2. The curriculum components that ranked highest were the research practicum, mentoring, interaction with translational researchers, and networking opportunities, all of which received a rating of 4.4 out of 5 (4 – very and 5 – extremely satisfied). Overall, student satisfaction with RAPID was 4.6 out of 5. Discussion/Significance of Impact: Rapid seeks to inspire undergraduate students from diverse majors to pursue careers in CTR. We will track students longitudinally to gage career trajectories. Student feedback is promising, “The connections I gained through my peers, mentors, and guest speakers are priceless. I discovered a newfound sense of purpose within the field of data science.” Table 1