As we begin a new millennium, the nation is challenged by the persistent need to eliminate major health status disparities between different segments of the population. Investment in biomedical research has brought the elimination of some devastating diseases, but health disparities remain. Meharry Medical College's history and vision for the future place it in the forefront of efforts to ameliorate health status disparities affecting the African American community and other under-represented minorities. Meharry's research strategic plan places emphasis on strategies designed to foster an increase in health related research and competitiveness of investigators through faculty development and enhancement of the research infrastructure at the College. The four major goals of the College's research strategic plan are: 1) Enhance the competitive stature of the research enterprise achieving a middle third ranking in NIH funding; 2) Expand the cadre of well-trained basic science and clinical science minority investigators, in particular African-American investigators; 3) Expand research capacity along with the development of signature areas of interdisciplinary inquiry, and 4) Augment and strengthen the institutional research infrastructure. This proposal seeks endowment funds in support of the College's efforts to: advance the scientific understanding of health disparities; develop new or improved approaches to control or prevent diseases and disabilities that contribute to health disparities; and, develop culturally sensitive evidence-based approaches to treat diseases and conditions that disproportionately affect African-Americans. The complementary specific aims of this proposal are: 1) Establish an Endowed Professorship in Reproductive Biology to enhance the recruitment of a """"""""magnet scientist"""""""" to lead the development and advancement of Meharry's Center for Research in Reproduction; 2) Establish an Endowed Professorship in Oral Biology to enhance the recruitment of a """"""""magnet scientist"""""""" to lead the development and advancement of the Center for Minority Oral Health Disparities Center at Meharry Medical College; 3) Establish an Endowed Program and a Chair in Cell and Molecular Biology to recruit a """"""""magnet scientist"""""""" to lead the establishment of a department of Cell, Developmental and Molecular Biology; and 4) Establish an endowed intramural research program to allow junior faculty and post-docs to obtain research data for individual initiated research grant submissions.
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