An Emerging Conceptual Framework for Conducting Disability, Health, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research Mentorship and Training at Minority Serving Institutions

Research mentorship has long been considered a preeminent research capacity building (RCB) approach. However, existing mentorship models designed to improve the research skills (i.e., research methods and grant writing) of faculty scholars at United States minority serving institutions (i.e., historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, and American Indian tribal colleges and universities) may be insufficient for building such capacities. This paper proposes an emerging conceptual framework for a new Peer-to-Peer Mentor Research Team Model (PPMRTM) designed to enhance the research skills of faculty scholars (herein referred to as fellows) and help to build the needed critical mass of researchers of color in the field of disability, health, independent living, and rehabilitation. A combination of Lippitt's planned change theory and critical mass theory provided a useful framework to contextualize and support the design of this model. A set of recommended approaches that can be considered by federal research organizations (i.e., National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, and National Institutes of Health), minority serving institutions, and researchers for assessment of the model and advancing the current state of science on minority serving institution RCB are presented.