The partnership of the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College (UTB/TSC) has produced a rapidly-growing institution that serves over 11,000 predominately Hispanic students (93%) from the impoverished southern Texas region of the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV). Strategies dedicated to foster the development of research opportunities are being pursued to better serve this student population. As a result, UTB/TSC is making the transition from an exclusively teaching to a research/teaching institution. UTB/TSC has agreed to create centers of excellence to develop competitive research programs in areas relevant to its mission. To this aim, the Center for Biomedical Studies (CBS) was created in 2003 with the mission of promoting biomedical research initiatives and facilitating intra- and inter-institutional collaborations among scientists. The long-term goal of the CBS is to reduce minority health disparities by fostering research programs relevant to the community, offering new career opportunities to minority students, and supporting diverse outreach activities. Although biomedical scientists of the CBS have successfully obtained federal funding, existing resources and research infrastructure are limited and insufficient to support present and projected growth.
The specific aims (SA) outlined in this proposal seek to overcome present hurdles and enhance existing infrastructures to support growing biomedical research initiatives. More specifically, the RIMI program will increase the number of faculty personnel with expertise in thematic research areas relevant to the strategic plan of the institution (SA1), create the necessary research infrastructure to support biomedical research (SA2) and support intra- and inter-institutional collaborative research projects contributing to the accumulation of knowledge, support scientific environment and career development (SA3). Finally, a successful RIMI application will enhance the overall quality of the educational experience, provide new career opportunities, and would certainly impact minority health disparities in the LRGV.
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