The proposed goal of the Program for the next five years is to continue the development of competitive research on the Medical Sciences Campus, by focusing on the development of a strong infrastructure for conducting multidisciplinary collaborative research studies through the establishment of clusters of excellence in health disparities affecting the Puerto Rican population. Addressing and understanding these differences is critical for evaluating the factors involved and for improving health status and quality of life. Research approaches to address this goal will range from the molecular to the clinical level. Toward this end, the RCMI Program proposes to: (1) develop infrastructure and provide support services to facilitate the conduct of multidisciplinary collaborative research in health disparities; (2) target specific areas of research and provide initial funding for developing these research activities; (3) promote the professional development of junior research faculty working on this area. The program will have three components: a Division of Research Resources, which will include infrastructure activities that provide research support services. These service activities will include, among others: the RCMI Proteomics Discovery Core Facility; the Center for Molecular Genetics and Infectious Diseases Research, the Enhancement of Neurogenetics Research at the Institute of Neurobiology, and the Collaborative Technologies Initiative for which funding is requested. The Division of Research Development will help achieve the second objective, by providing a focal point for research activities conducted by junior investigators. Two pilot projects in the area of infectious diseases were identified for development. The third objective, professional development of promising research faculty, will be approached through a series of activities including a mentoring program designed to foster the research career development. The Division of Advancement in Research will oversee the mentoring program and will offer a course for strengthening research skills, will provide scientific editing services, will train on how to protect and commercializing ideas, and will develop a comprehensive multidisciplinary collaborative research seminar series. Many of these activities will be offered utilizing the information technology infrastructure developed by the Center for Information Architecture in Research during the current cycle.
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