The long-term goal of this program is to develop a major research center in the southeastern United States focused on alleviating oral health and oral health-related problems In minority populations. The center will be built around an alliance that has been established between scientists at Meharry Medical College, a minority health professional school with a long history and mission dedicated to solving health problems of the underserved, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a research intensive institution with outstanding research programs in oral biology. Collaborations with scientists at other research intensive institutions, including University of Georgia, University of North Carolina, Virginia Commonwealth University and Vanderbilt University, will promote the goals of this regional center. The focus on minority oral health issues will be enhanced by strengthening the biomedical and behavioral research capacity of Meharry's School of Dentistry, and by expanding opportunities for minorities to conduct oral health research at all collaborating institutions.
The specific aims of this proposal are: 1. Strengthen biomedical and behavioral oral health research capacity of the School of Dentistry of MMC by: further strengthening the scientific alliance between MMC and UAB; expanding collaborative interactions between faculty at MMC and other research intensive institutions in the southeast region; and increasing opportunities for dental students and faculty at Meharry to collaborate with established research programs in MMC's Medical and Graduate School. 2. Provide support for developmental activities for 5 minority dentists which will include formal academic training, training in research-related skills, and participation in collaborative research projects. 3. Expand research opportunities for minority scientists at MMC and UAB by including 13 minority scientists as principal or co-investigators on research projects. 4. Provide support for core facilities for microbiology and clinical research in the School of Dentistry, for data analysis, and for an administrative unit to support the activities of the RRCMOH program and coordinate research activities in the School of Dentistry and collaborating institutions. 5. improve the oral health of minorities by building strong research programs in biomedical and behavioral aspects of dental caries and periodontal disease, and in the evaluation of dental restorative materials. Progress towards accomplishing the goals of the RRCMOH program by the collaborative efforts of Meharry and UAB during the planning phase will be extended. Achievement of the objectives of the phase Il program will further foster the culture of research among minority faculty and dental students, and will increase the involvement of the scientific community at large in research on minority health problems.
