The long-range goal of the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Biannual International Health Disparities Symposia is to better prepare scientists and their trainees at RCMI Institutions to address issues of health disparities through intellectual exchange, collaborative interactions, and workshops which address both fundamental and novel research skills development. This application is submitted by Meharry Medical College (MMC) in behalf of the 18 (RCMI) programs to support three RMCI Biannual International Health Symposium on Health Disparities to be convened in Nashville, TN in 2010, San Juan Puerto, Rico in 2012 and Houston Texas in 2014. Because many investigators at RCMI institutions study diseases that disproportionately affect minorities, the symposium serves the dual purpose of bringing more minority scientists into mainstream research and enhancing studies of minority health."""""""" Thus, the goals of the symposium are consistent with the goal of the RCMI program.
The specific aims of the symposia are to: 1. Exchange and disseminate information by a. providing RCMI investigators and their trainees the opportunity to present research data and establish a dialogue with other RCMI investigators as well as investigators from research intensive universities; b. convening Principal Investigators/Program Directors'meetings to plan and share best practices in an effort to achieve the national RCMI program goals; 2. Conduct a series of technical workshops focusing on fundamental skills as well as novel approaches and technologies with relevance to research aimed at eliminating health disparities; 3. Publish at least two peer-reviewed supplemental editions to the Journal of Health Care for Poor and Underserved highlighting health disparities research conducted at RCMI-grantee institutions;and 4. Provide an opportunity for health care providers to obtain Continuing Medical Education Credits through the Meharry Medical College Office of Lifelong Learning, a program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).
The objective of the symposium is to create a forum for intellectual exchange, collaborative interactions within and beyond the RCMI Institutions, and share new and innovative approaches toward eliminating health disparities. The symposium agenda will include invited keynote/plenary lectures by nationally recognized scholars, oral and poster presentations by RCMI investigators and technical workshops.
