PULSE (Program Understanding and Learning through Strategic Evaluation)

PULSE (Program Understanding and Learning through Strategic Evaluation) Project Summary The evaluation of T32 training programs, which represent a cornerstone of biomedical research education in the United States, requires valid, reliable, and precise measurement instruments to assess program outcomes and trainee progress effectively. However, many programs lack validated instruments and systematic approaches for collecting and analyzing these various types of evidence. For this project, we will develop and validate a comprehensive evaluation system for T32 training programs that will be disseminated broadly and made freely accessible. Instruments will include surveys for trainees, mentors, program administrators, and program alumni. Validation will be completed through collaborations with around 50 diverse T32 programs to collect responses from at least 450 trainees, 300 mentors, 100 program administrators, and 150 alumni. While validating instruments, we will develop evidence-based implementation resources that support effective implementation of the evaluation system. These resources will include a Survey Administration Manual that provides protocols for timing, administration procedures and data management, a Program Evaluation Framework Guide that describes structured approaches for evaluation planning, a Data Interpretation Guide that outlines strategies for analyzing results and implementing improvements based on National Implementation Research Network frameworks, and a Technical Manual that documents the psychometric properties of all survey instruments, including detailed information about validation methodology, reliability evidence, and guidelines for appropriate interpretation. Finally, the validated instruments and supporting materials will be made freely available through a dedicated PULSE website. Instruments will be shared in different formats that can be readily used by T32 programs. Shared resources will include customizable presentation templates for use by programs to communicate their evaluation results, and a link to a GitHub repository to download and install custom survey platform software. Project Number: 1R25GM161925-01 | Fiscal Year: 2026 | NIH Institute/Center: National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) | Principal Investigator: Rebecca Peterson (+1 co-PI) | Institution: UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH, SALT LAKE CITY, UT | Award Amount: $105,987 | Activity Code: R25 | Study Section: Special Emphasis Panel[ZRG1 MBBC-P (55)] View on NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11266254