Research Education Core

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Project Summary/Abstract – Research Education Component The Research Education Component (REC) of the Deep South RCMAR is designed to recruit, educate, and support a diverse group of faculty at our four partnering institutions (The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Morehouse School of Medicine, Tuskegee University, and The University of Alabama) in the pursuit of enduring research careers focused on reducing health disparities between African American (AA) and White older adults in the Deep South (a region of the country where the majority of older AAs live and health disparities have been particularly persistent). This unique collaboration between institutions that vary greatly in their research emphasis, research infrastructure, and faculty backgrounds will increase the pool of potential applications to the program. Each partnering institution brings unique strengths to the overall educational experience. The benefits of this collaboration for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) include exposure to more researchers with R01 experience and a greater depth and breadth in senior faculty available to serve as mentors. The strengths of the minority institutions to the collaboration include providing a pool of faculty experienced in cultural sensitivity and committed to aging research leading to the reduction of health inequities. Additionally, TU brings unique strength in bioethics training, a key component for scientists interested in addressing health disparities in the Deep South. The overall goals of the REC are to (1) build research capacity and increase the diversity of the workforce through the recruitment of minority investigators and the education of a diverse group of faculty Scientists, (2) build research capacity through mentoring by providing opportunities for RCMAR Scientists to work on interdisciplinary teams, exposing them to the methodologies and theories of other scientific disciplines pertinent to the study of age-related phenomena, (3) support our Scientists in pursuing independent careers in aging and health disparities research through ongoing mentoring, while fostering networks for ongoing collaboration and support, and (4) build research capacity through research funding for pilot grants, and assistance in the submission of competitive research projects over time. To insure the success of the REC, we will draw from a large pool of established mentors at all partnering institutions, who offer many opportunities for RCMAR Scientists to participate in large, collaborative research programs. We will carefully evaluate the program through various indicators of Scientist career independence including publications, successful grant applications, promotions in rank, and service in the academic community through editorial board memberships and participation on study sections. In these ways, the RCMAR REC will help diversify the cadre of scientists engaged in aging research, with the ultimate goal of reducing health inequities in the older population. Through improving the diversity of scientists trained in this area of research, the expectation is that global competitiveness will be improved, scientific innovation will be enhanced, and older adults will benefit.