RCTR Awards – October 2009

NCRR's RCMI Infrastructure for Clinical and Translational Research (RCTR) awards support the development of infrastructure required for the conduct of clinical and translational research in institutions funded via the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program.

Supported by NCRR's Division of Research Infrastructure (DRI), RCTR represents a re-organization of the existing RCMI programmatic activities. This re-organization was developed to improve collaboration and coordination of clinical and translational research programs within RCMI institutions, foster collaborations and partnerships with other institutions.

Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science

Los Angeles

Accelerating Excellence in Science (AXIS)

Principal Investigator
Keith Norris, M.D.
E-mail: keithnorris@cdrewu.edu

Description:

To be a leading national resource for conducting clinical and translational research, the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU) will establish the Accelerating Excellence In Science (AXIS) program, a catalyst to the implementation of a strategic plan to build an integrated "home" for clinical and translational research. AXIS will house experienced and dedicated leadership; integrate various clinical and translational, community, training, and technology approaches and resources; and provide research consultation services. As a cornerstone, AXIS will have interdisciplinary collaborations between CDU investigators and active community partners. These team science activities will be supported by cutting-edge biomedical informatics and innovative research tools and technologies to create a vibrant center grounded in the philosophy that the interdependence of basic science, clinical discovery and patient-oriented research will accelerate improved patient outcome.

AXIS will better position CDU for addressing health disparities by transforming the traditional research enterprise into a highly integrated research environment by reorganizing research administration, centralizing and enhancing physical and intellectual resources and promoting participation in the RCMI Translational Research Network and Clinical and Translational Science Institutes. AXIS will help ensure scientific advances yield high-quality, cost-effective health outcomes and train future leaders in translational and clinical research to help reduce health disparities.

Photo: Medical students at Charles Drew University are preparing for patient care. (Photo courtesy of Charles Drew University) Download Photo (1.2MB JPG)

Meharry Medical College

Nashville, Tenn.

Meharry Clinical and Translational Research Center (MeTRC)

Principal Investigators
Ayman Al-Hendy, M.D., Ph.D.
E-mail: ahendy@mmc.edu

James Hildreth, Ph.D., M.D.
E-mail: jhildreth@mmc.edu

Description:

The goal of the Meharry Translational Research Center (MeTRC) is to establish a national model for clinical and translational health disparities research. Building on particular strengths of the research enterprise at Meharry, the focus of MeTRC will be on infectious disease, including HIV/AIDS, and women's health. An integrated program of translational research that spans basic fundamental research to applied, participant-involved clinical studies will be established.

To accomplish their goals MeTRC will: 1) develop an administrative infrastructure that will facilitate development and maintenance of an integrated and innovative translational and clinical research program; 2) develop a technical infrastructure that will sustain a program of integrated translational and clinical research; 3) establish a process to facilitate the collaborative interactions and communication between RCTR faculty and staff needed to sustain and grow an integrated program of innovative clinical and translational research; 4) establish a pipeline of basic, translational and clinical research that will sustain and grow the MeTRC program; 5) significantly enhance the infrastructure for translational and clinical research by establishing a new Participant and Clinical Interactions Resource (PCIR); 6) develop a multidisciplinary training and career development program in clinical and translational research that takes advantage of the infrastructure, programs and faculty of RCTR; 7) engage and enhance an existing program created under the Vanderbilt-Meharry CTSA Focused Partnership to facilitate processes and partnerships in community-based clinical and translational research; 8) develop and implement a plan for self-evaluation of short- and long-term RCTR goals, including implementation and tracking of program activities. MeTRC will create an environment that will accelerate progress in the bench-to-bedside-to-community research enterprise.

Photo: Researcher in the Center for AIDS Health Disparities Research (CAHDR). The CAHDR will also serve as one of the research sites of the Meharry Translational Research Center (MeTRC). (Photo courtesy of Meharry Medical College) Download Photo (4.6MB JPG)

Morehouse School of Medicine

Atlanta

RCMI Center of Excellence for Clinical and Translational Research (RCTR)

Principal Investigator
Eve J. Higginbotham, M.D.
E-mail: ejhigginbotham@msm.edu

Description:

The goal of the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) RCMI Center of Excellence for Clinical and Translational Research (R-CENTER) is to train the next generation of minority clinical and translational scientists to pursue multidisciplinary approaches to discovery science that translates into the amelioration of health disparities. MSM has experienced tremendous growth and success of its research enterprise over the past decade, based on a strategic plan that focuses on MSM's expertise and resources to serve the needs of minority communities. The MSM R-CENTER builds on an infrastructure developed by RCMI resources over the past decade.

To accomplish this the R-Center will: 1) establish an organizational framework for conducting clinical/translational research that promotes multidisciplinary approaches to addressing health disparities; 2) establish a robust research infrastructure and vibrant training environment that fosters innovative, multidisciplinary clinical/translational research; 3) establish an institution-wide mechanism for recruiting, training and mentoring a critical mass of talented faculty engaged in multidisciplinary clinical/translational research; 4) establish a community-centered model of clinical/translational research that advances discovery science and translates new knowledge into improvements in the health status of minority communities.

Minority-serving academic health centers, such as MSM, are strategically poised to make important scientific contributions that address the devastating problem of racial/ethnic disparities of health in the U.S. The R-CENTER program will enable MSM investigators to establish the research infrastructure and capacity necessary to pursue discoveries that translate into improvements in the health status of the minority communities they serve.

Photo: The Cardiovascular Research Institute of Morehouse School of Medicine (Photo courtesy of Morehouse School of Medicine) Download Photo (5MB JPG)