A strong Administrative Core is essential to the proposed Center for Health And Risk in Minority youth and adults (CHARM). CHARM brings together key personnel across 3 Schools at UCSF (Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing), across multiple departments within the School of Medicine (Medicine, Pediatrics, Family and Community Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Epidemiology and Biostatistics) and across multiple geographical locations at UCSF (including San Francisco General Hospital). CHARM also partners with San Francisco State University (SFSU) and includes key personnel from Northern California Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, UC Berkeley, and Stanford University. This broad investigative team, with its multiple domains of expertise, has enthusiastically coalesced to achieve CHARM's goals to prevent chronic disease and associated risk behaviors in disparity populations in the SF Bay area through a focus on late childhood, adolescence and young adulthood (ages 8-35 years, hereafter """"""""youth and young adults""""""""). Chronic illnesses (e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, obesity) are major sources of morbidity and mortality among racial/ethnic minority populations in the US. The youth and young adult period represents a crucial opportunity for the prevention of chronic disease in minority populations particulariy because many of these chronic conditions develop at younger ages in these populations. Despite this opportunity, this age group has not been the focus of major research efforts. The challenges of conducting high-quality research in minority populations - and additionally in youth and young adults - that will produce effective strategies for improving the health of these communities requires input from multiple disciplines. CHARM will link investigators with clinical expertise in medicine, pediatrics, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and public health with those whose expertise encompasses methodological approaches to disparities research, genetics, epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy, communication sciences, and health psychology. This approach is essential to the conduct of high quality, ethical investigation into the biological, behavioral, and social factors that underiie risk of chronic disease in minority populations. It is equally vital to the design of effective culturally and ageappropriate prevention interventions.
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