Using Focused Ethnography to Inform Biomedical Research Infrastructure Enhancement At Primarily Undergraduate Institutions in Arkansas.

Abstract

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) supports 24 IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) Programs supporting the development of university-based biomedical research capacity in states that historically receive low levels of extramural grant support. In order to assess the effectiveness of the Arkansas INBRE in meeting its biomedical research capacity-building goals, we evaluated how the context (i.e., local and institutional settings) at two undergraduate institutions impacted variability in science faculty use of program resources. Data were collected using in-depth interviews with faculty and administrators (N=9), focused observations, a review of Arkansas INBRE databases, and internet searches. Content analysis was used to code interview transcripts and fieldnotes, then qualitative data were integrated with data from databases and internet searches to construct two institutional case summaries. Constant comparison was used to identify similarities and differences between the institutions that helped to explain variability in how frequently faculty used Arkansas INBRE resources, including an enrollment crisis at undergraduate institutions in the U.S. and the presence of absence of a robust research culture at each institution. These findings were used to suggest program improvements that could further strengthen biomedical research capacity in Arkansas. As some barriers to program effectiveness are likely found in other IDeA-eligible states, improvements (e.g., classroom-based research) suggested for the Arkansas INBRE could apply to INBRE programs elsewhere.