The Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (Drew) in partnership with the Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is submitting this application in response to RFA-MD-06-003 Exploratory NCMHD Research Centers of Excellence (P20). Currently in its fifth year of funding, Drew/UCLA Project EXPORT Center looks forward to continuing an exciting and extremely successful partnership. The Drew/UCLA Project EXPORT Center will build capacity for high quality research on health disparities through the conduct of community-based research studies and through methodological support for pilot studies by investigators who are new to the field. The major research activities will focus upon diabetes, depression, and HIV prevention. The contributions to capacity will be accomplished through building research relationships with established investigators associated with the Center, participation of junior minority investigators in major research projects, promotion of pilot investigations as initial steps toward larger studies, coordination with the Training Core to assure appropriate mentorship, and coordination with the Community Core in development of expertise and experience in community-based participatory research methods. We will continue to strengthen community and institutional partnerships for conducting innovative, """"""""real world"""""""", cutting-edge research to improve minority health. Key goals we have achieved include: 1) a high number of NCMHD cited publications (n=158) and funded/pending grant applications (n=174);2) effective community-academic partnerships (over 200 community partners and over 2000 study participants);and 3) the training of 17 new promising minority junior faculty dedicated to academic careers with a passion and mission for addressing health disparities. Because of the continuing national need and our strong commitment to training and community, we have chosen to include the optional Community Core and Research Training and Pilot Core (RTPC), in addition to the mandatory Administrative and Research Cores.
The Specific Aims of the Drew/UCLA EXPORT Center are to: 1) Enhance community engagement and community-academic partnerships to reduce health disparities, and to sustain community health and wellbeing (Research, RTPC and Community Cores);2) Provide an integrated home for coordinating health disparities research and training, dissemination of EXPORT outcomes, and evaluation of the EXPORT Center goals (Administrative Core);3) Promote methodologically rigorous research aimed at: a) promoting quality care, and effective health advocacy and health policy, and b) improving health outcomes in the areas of diabetes, mental health and HIV/AIDS among LA County African Americans and Latinos (Research and RTPC Cores);4) Build research capacity at Drew, and provide formal training for Drew and UCLA minority investigators committed to health disparities research (Administrative, Research, RTPC and Community Cores).
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