NIH Institute Grants $122 Million to Research Minority Institutes

The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) is funding 7 new awards to support the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Specialized Centers program.

The funds, allocated to $122 million over 5 years, will go to the RCMI’s service to institutional research capacity and career development of investigators conducting minority health and health disparities research.

NIMHD, a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), supports scientists at institutions historically committed to training populations underrepresented in science, according to the press release regarding the grant. The funded RCMI institutions were required to offer doctoral degrees in health or related sciences, and have a historical or current commitment to underrepresented student education.

Institutions with such a commitment to diversity are essential to “supporting scientific research and providing health care to underserved communities,” NIMHD Director Dr. Eliseo J. Perez-Stable said.

“These institutions are uniquely positioned to engage minority populations in research, and in the translation of research advances into culturally competent, measurable and sustained improvements in health outcomes,” Perez-Stable said.

The institutions to receive the grant funding include:

• Center for Reducing Health Disparities in Substance Abuse and HIV in South Florida, Florida International University, Miami
• RCMI Program in Health Disparities Research, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee
• RCMI Center for Health Disparities Research, North Carolina Central University, Durham
• Southwest Health Equity Research Collaborative (SHERC), Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff
• Center for Biomedical Research/Research Centers at Minority Institutions, Tuskegee University, Alabama
• Ola HAWAII, University of Hawaii at Manoa
• Center for Collaborative Research in Minority Health and Health Disparities, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan

A press release regarding the funding was made available.