Minority Aging Research "State of the Science" Conference Series

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The NIA Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research (RCMARs), with leadership by the RCMAR Coordinating Center (CC), request funding for one scientific research conference that will focus on the "State of the Science" in minority aging research. The research agenda developed by the National Research Council (NCR), "Understanding Racial and Ethnic Differences in Late Life" (2004), was used to select the conference topic. The proposed scientific research conference will be held on November 16, 2007 in conjunction with the 2007 National Scientific Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) to maximize attendance and capitalize on leveraging travel costs. The conference has three goals: (1) to bring together researchers to discuss the current "state of the science" in selected NRC recommendation areas; (2) to expose RCMAR and other researchers to priority research areas that may not be adequately addressed; and (3) to encourage research development in priority areas. The specific aims of the conference are to (1) Form and utilize an expert conference Planning Committee to develop a one-day state of the science conference agenda that will promote intervention research to address racial and ethnic health differences; identify key research efforts and projects in identified research priorities; characterize barriers that hinder intervention research project development; and discuss novel approaches to new project development in under-addressed priority research areas. The remaining specific aims include to (2) Develop and implement one scientific conference on intervention research processes and skills development of minority junior faculty and other junior faculty to encourage minority aging research in priority areas; (3) Provide training to a minimum of 50 minority junior faculty and/or faculty (senior and junior) working in minority aging research at each annual conference; (4) Evaluate the conference program to document improvements in knowledge, skills, abilities and utilization of conference learnings within RCMARs and other research programs; and (5) Broadly disseminate the findings from the conference through a variety of professional publications, editorials and website postings. The conference being proposed will bring faculty researchers together to discuss minority aging research topic priorities and assist in development of needed future research.