RESEARCH
CENTERS IN MINORITY
INSTITUTIONS (RCMI) PROGRAM
The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Program
in the National Center for Research Resources is a congressionally
mandated program initiated by the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) in 1985. The RCMI Program is a unique concept in the
history of NIH to increase the participation of underrepresented
minorities in biomedical research. This uniqueness is attributable
to the program’s focus on institutions rather
than on individual investigators.
The University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus has
participated in the RCMI Program since 1986, when the institution
was awarded its first RCMI grant. The Program is currently
in its fourth cycle of funding, 2001-2006. The goal of the
RCMI Program is
to continue the development of research at the Medical Sciences
Campus, by focusing on the development of a strong infrastructure
for conducting research related to health disparities in the
Puerto Rican population. Research approaches to address this
goal range from the molecular to the clinical level. The specific
aims are to: (1) develop infrastructure and provide support
services to facilitate the conduct of research related to
health disparities; (2) target specific areas of research
related to health disparities and provide a focal point for
these research activities on campus; and (3) promote the professional
development of research faculty and technical personnel working
on this area. To achieve these objectives, the RCMI Program
established the Health Disparities Research Program, which
has three components. The Division of Research Resources,
includes all activities that provide support services in the
areas of molecular genetics, information architecture, and
image analysis. The Division of Research Development supports
research activities addressing health disparities in the population
such as AIDS, women’s health (breast cancer, osteoporosis),
emerging infectious diseases, and blood disorders. The Division
of Advancement in Research provides opportunities for
strengthening research skills, obtaining specialized services
on biostatistics, epidemiology and scientific editing, rewarding
role models, protecting and marketing
ideas, and accessing research-related databases. The continuous
contribution of the RCMI Program to the research infrastructure
of the Medical Sciences Campus is critical to the preservation
of the progress made thus far and in permitting still greater
levels of
achievement by focusing on the health disparities that affect
the Puerto Rican population.
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