The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), part of the National Institutes of Health, has funded three new awards and renewed the awards of eight institutions previously funded under the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Specialized Centers program. The RCMI develops and strengthens the research infrastructure necessary to conduct state-of-the-art biomedical research and foster the next generation of researchers from underrepresented populations. The centers will share approximately $187 million over their five-year project periods, subject to available funds.
The purpose of the RCMI Program, which was established in 1985, is to support institutions that offer doctorate degrees in the health professions or in a health-related science and that have a commitment to educating underrepresented students. Additionally, the program supports institutions that deliver healthcare and provide clinical services to medically underserved communities. The overall goals are to advance the science of minority health and health disparities in multiple disciplines, promote the diversity of the biomedical workforce and reduce health disparities and promote health equity.
Grants within this program are committed to fostering the next generation of researchers through opportunities to engage in rigorous, mentored research experiences focused on diseases that disproportionately affect minority and other health disparity populations. Building and enhancing research capacity and infrastructure through investigator development, state-of-the-art information systems, and opportunity to collaborate within and across institutions, are at the core of the RCMI program. Community engagement in the research process is also an essential program component.
“The RCMI is a legacy program critical to NIMHD’s vision of enhancing the science of minority health and health disparities,” said NIMHD Director Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, MD. “The new round of funding promotes advancement of current research while expanding the range of research projects and institutions supported through this program.”
