? Funding for a Planninq Grant to develop an application for a Clinical and Translational Science Award ? (CTSA) to Meharry Medical College is sought to advance our bench-to-beside-to-community research focusing on health disparities. The overarching objective is to survey the resources currently available for clinical and translational research at Meharry Medical College and develop plans for an institutional CTSA.
The specific aims will include assessing the current organizational and governance structures within the College and with potential affiliated institutions and community based networks and how we would optimally build the academic home to nurture training and build research capacity in clinical and translational research. While strengthening the research infrastructure, particularly for clinical and community based participatory research and for training in these areas to strengthen our signature research focus areas in Cancer, HIVIAIDS. Women's Health, and Brain and Behavior in their bench-to-bedside-community goals, we will plan for the creation of a PhD-granting program in Clinical Investigation. This advanced degree program will include training in disciplines such as molecular epidemiology, outcomes, human investigation issues, biostatistics, behavioral and community-based participatory research to assure our continuum of our health disparities research from the academic health center to the community. Considerable disparity in disease susceptibility and health outcomes in our four signature research areas continues. A CTSA based at Meharry Medical College will be a laboratory for the many issues involved in health care deliverables for numerous diseases magnified even further in our environment. Meharry has trained over one third of the African American physicians and dentists in the US and continues to lead the nation in the graduation of doctoral African American scientists. As health disparities continue to exist and community deliverables to improve health in racial and ethnic groups are facilitated by well-trained minority clinician scientists, Meharry is well positioned to be able to transform its infrastructure to foster bench-to-bedside-to-community research and training. This Planning Grant period will allow us to optimize the structure of the academic home and for the iterative evaluation process that will transform our mission in line with the goals of the CTSA Roadmap across the Schools of Graduate Studies, Medicine, Dentistry and Public Health. This transformation will be considered in conjunction with Tennessee State's Center for Health Research and Schools of Nursing and Health Sciences and numerous local public and private community partners. We foresee that a Meharry Medical College CTSA will benefit not only this community but also will be able to synergize with other CTSA awardees in being a national resource. ? ? ?
