image: Dr. Eric G. Bing is Charles Drew University's Endowed Professor of Global Health & HIV. He will direct the NIH grant-funded program: Accelerating Excellence in Translational Science. view more
Credit: Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science
Los Angeles—The National Institutes of Health has awarded $75 million to Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science and three other historically black institutions to establish a medical research consortium to combat health disparities in minority and underserved populations.
The award by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), part of NIH, will support clinical and translational research focusing on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, HIV/AIDS and other conditions.
"We are going to create a clinical and translational research center by building partnerships among institutions and communities," said Dr. Eric G. Bing, Charles Drew University's Endowed Professor of Global Health & HIV, who will direct the NIH grant-funded program: Accelerating Excellence in Translational Science (AXIS).
"Our goal is to develop innovative solutions that transform the health of underserved communities," he added.
Under the terms of the award, Charles Drew University in Los Angeles, Meharry Medical College in Nashville and Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta will each receive about $4 million a year for up to five years. Xavier University in Louisiana will receive $2 million a year for five years to establish a cancer research center.
Charles Drew, Meharry and Morehouse will each be funded through Research Centers in Minority Institutions, an NCRR program designed to enhance research capacity and infrastructure in minority institutions.
"The three inaugural RCTR institutions already have an exemplary record of transforming basic research into positive outcomes at the doctor's office and in the community," said Dr. Barbara Alving, director of NCRR. "The increased efficiency and partnerships that come out of the RCTR program will accelerate this progress to improve the health of minority communities."
Xavier University, which suffered heavy damage as a result of Hurricane Katrina in2005, will be added to the pool of RCMI institutions with funds from the fourth award.
RCMI Awardees:
Charles Drew University
$20.9 million
Accelerating Excellence in Translational Science
Principal Investigator: Keith C. Norris, M.D.
Meharry Medical College
$21.4 million
Meharry Clinical and Translational Research Center
Principal Investigators: Ayman Al-Hendy, M.D., Ph.D. and James E.K. Hildreth, M.D., Ph.D.
Morehouse School of Medicine
$22.2 million
RCMI Infrastructure for Clinical and Translational Research
Principal Investigator: Eve J. Higginbotham, M.D.
Xavier University of Louisiana
$10.1 million
Xavier's RCMI Cancer Research Program
Principal Investigator: Gene D'Amour, Ph.D.Contact:
The RCMI funds will establish core laboratories, provide instrumentation and technical staff and fund pilot research projects. To learn more about the RCTR and other RCMI programs activities, visit www.ncrr.nih.gov/rcmi.
The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a part of NIH, provides laboratory scientists and clinical researchers with the resources and training they need to understand, detect, treat and prevent a wide range of diseases. NCRR supports all aspects of translational and clinical research, connecting researchers, patients and communities across the nation. For more information, visit www.ncrr.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
ABOUT THE CHARLES DREW UNIVERSITY
A private non-profit educational institution in the Watts-Willowbrook area of South Los Angeles, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU) since 1971, has graduated over 500 medical doctors, 2,500 physician specialists, 2,000 physician assistants and hundreds of other health professionals. CDU is a premier institution with a unique focus of developing health care professionals to lead the way in transforming lives in underserved communities.
CDU is regarded as a medical university pioneering in teaching doctors and healthcare professionals, and in conducting quality research, to deal with the special needs of the poor, chronically ill populations in the inner city. CDU is ranked in the top ten percent of more than 3,400 institutions supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is ranked in the top 50 private research universities, as rated by the Center for Measuring University Performance.
Mission: "To conduct education, research, and clinical services in the context of community engagement to train health professionals who promote wellness, provide care with excellence and compassion and transform the health of underserved communities."