Enabling the next generation of leaders

The Beacon of Hope collaboration has made significant progress in empowering the next generation of African American, Black and Hispanic students to become healthcare leaders.
- Thurgood Marshall College Fund-Novartis US Foundation HBCU Scholarship Program – TMCF and the Novartis US Foundation will award 360 three-year scholarships of USD 10 000 a year to students at participating HBCUs over 10 years.
- Thurgood Marshall College Fund-Novartis HBCU Mentorship Program – Each scholarship recipient will be paired with a Novartis mentor to help them navigate their academic career and prepare for their professional future. This mentorship program will also be open to select students who were not awarded scholarships.
- Thurgood Marshall College Fund-Novartis US Foundation HBCU Faculty Grants – TMCF and Novartis are awarding 10 USD 25 000 grants per year for 10 years to HBCU faculty for research substantiating key drivers of health disparities for African Americans in their lived experience and informing areas for change.
- Beacon of Hope Summer Fellowship at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research – NIBR is offering a 10-week paid summer fellowship program for 17 Historically Black Medical School students, to learn drug discovery, data analytics and clinical research practices. Recent HBCU graduates will also be invited to participate in a two-year post-baccalaureate program to prepare them for competitive MD/PhD or PhD programs. Each student will be paired with a Novartis scientist mentor to gain first-hand experience running innovative research, science, and technology projects. These programs are expected to continue annually for 10 years, with the goal of training up to 250 scientific leaders.
- Coursera virtual training courses – Coursera and Novartis have co-developed online programs to support STEM training in underserved communities and increase exposure to biomedical research career opportunities. The first three courses – training for clinical trial leaders, community health workers, and pharmaceutical research and development – will launch in 2023, with additional courses to follow.