Ethnicity & disease
-
Ethnicity & disease · Jan 2019
The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Translational Research Network: Building and Sustaining Capacity for Multi-Site Basic Biomedical, Clinical and Behavioral Research.
The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program was established by the US Congress to support the development of biomedical research infrastructure at minority-serving institutions granting doctoral degrees in the health professions or in a health-related science. RCMI institutions also conduct research on diseases that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities (ie, African Americans/Blacks, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Hispanics, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders), those of low socioeconomic status, and rural persons. Quantitative metrics, including the numbers of doctoral science degrees granted to underrepresented students, NIH peer-reviewed research funding, peer-reviewed publications, and numbers of racial and ethnic minorities participating in sponsored research, demonstrate that RCMI grantee institutions have made substantial progress toward the intent of the Congressional legislation, as well as the NIH/NIMHD-linked goals of addressing workforce diversity and health disparities. ⋯ The continuing underrepresentation of minority investigators in NIH-sponsored research across multiple disease areas is of concern, in the face of unrelenting national health inequities. With the collaborative network support by the RCMI Translational Research Network (RTRN), the RCMI community is uniquely positioned to address these challenges through its community engagement and strategic partnerships with non-RCMI institutions. Funding agencies can play an important role by incentivizing such collaborations, and incorporating metrics for research funding that address underrepresented populations, workforce diversity and health equity.
-
Ethnicity & disease · Jan 2019
Building the Network of Minority Health Research Investigators: A Novel Program to Enhance Leadership and Success of Underrepresented Minorities in Biomedical Research.
To address the myriad of health problems and disparities that affect the United States (US) population, the mix of health care professionals and researchers must reflect the full diversity of the nation. There continues to be discrepancy between the number of trained scientists and biomedical researchers from underrepresented populations relative to the overall population. A scarcity of formal and informal networking opportunities for minority researchers and health care providers contribute to this lack of diversity. ⋯ While the number of responses to the survey varied annually, the qualitative results suggest that career development and social support provided through the Network were the largest motivators for participation.
-
Ethnicity & disease · Jan 2019
An Institutional Coordinated Plan for Effective Partnerships to Achieve Health Equity and Biomedical Workforce Diversity.
The rapid growth and accumulation of specialized knowledge in today's biomedical fields, combined with entrenched and emerging health issues that persist among certain groups within the US population, emphasizes the significant need to diversify the nation's biomedical science workforce. The under-representation of minorities in science results in inadequate scientific input from divergent social or cultural perspectives and detracts from our nation's ability to resolve health disparities. ⋯ Successful outcomes from our coordinated plan includes an increase in participant self-efficacy, research presentation awards, increase in grant awards and publications, and career advancement. Through partnerships within our institution, local school districts, and minority serving institutions nationwide, our coordinated plan provides mutually beneficial co-learning experiences to increase the number of under-represented individuals entering translational research focused on increasing the biomedical research workforce diversity and achieving health equity.
-
Ethnicity & disease · Jan 2019
Self-Esteem, Weight Status, and Trying to Lose Weight During Young Adulthood: The Roles of Sex and Ethnicity/Race.
This study sought to examine sex and ethnicity/race differences in the associations between self-esteem, weight status, and trying to lose weight among young adults in the United States. ⋯ The decision to lose weight was linked with poor self-esteem solely among normal-weight and overweight White females. African American and White females with obesity presented with relatively poor self-esteem, but their decision to lose weight was not linked with their self-esteem. More studies are needed to understand the psychological mechanism behind the decision to lose weight among White females with obesity, African American females, and males.
-
Ethnicity & disease · Jan 2019
Exploring Professional Development for New Investigators Underrepresented in the Federally Funded Biomedical Research Workforce.
The National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) is a strategic partnership whose goals include remedying documented disparities by race and ethnicity in the awarding of National Institutes of Health research grants. Our objectives were to offer a profile of early-career investigators who applied to NRMN's Grantsmanship Coaching Programs (GCP) and test for differences in the research productivity, professional obligations, research resources, and motivations of applicants from underrepresented groups (URGs) compared with applicants from well-represented groups (WRGs). We also evaluated how employment at a minority serving institution (MSI) influenced access to research resources and professional obligations. ⋯ Our findings identified several points of intervention to help applicants from URGs to improve their future chances of obtaining competitive funding.