The overall goal of the New Mexico Center for Advancement of Research, Engagement &Science on Health Disparities (NM CARES HD) is to create a vigorous, self-sustaining center of excellence that advances the scientific base of knowledge devoted to decreasing health disparities in Southwestern Native American and Hispanics communities.
The Specific Aims of the NM CARES HD Reseach Core (RC) are to: 1. Provide research infrastructure and technical support to assure successful completion of current projects and facilitate development of new projects and researchers invested in health disparities research, with particular emphasis on supporting minority investigators; 2. Develop and facilitate research clusters to better inform and develop new projects, researchers, and methods aimed at reducing health disparities. Initial clusters will focus on community-based participatory research (CBPR) and decolonizing methods;race, ethnicity and health equity;mixed and novel methodologies;and translation to policy and practice; 3. Evaluate the activities within the Research Core and the program as a whole using various data sources, including interviews of community members and researchers who attend various presentations, participate in discussions regarding center topics, and are involved in proposed and future research projects. Two initial research projects will be supported. The RC will develop resources that all center disparity investigators can use, including a resource library;direct consultation with the RC faculty;funding for direct consultation from external experts in the field;other training opportunities. The following think tank study groups, """"""""research clusters"""""""", will be formed to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, expansion of knowledge, and development of new, innovative health disparity studies: CBPR evaluation science, disparity causation, integration of mixed research methods, and translating disparity research into primary care practices and policy. A comprehensive evaluation strategy for the center has been developed.
The Research Core of the New Mexico Center for Advancement of Research, Engagement &Science on Health Disparities will provide technical support and oversight center research projects. A sustainable center of excellence for health disparities research will decrease health disparities in Southwestern Native American and Hispanic communities and increase the pool of minority facualty investigators.
