Center of Excellence in Precision Medicine and Population Health

 Vanderbilt-Miami-Meharry精准医学和人口健康卓越中心将汇集在非裔美国人和拉丁美洲人/西班牙裔美国人之间的精准医学和健康差异研究方面具有丰富专业知识的机构和教师。该中心的主要机构是范德比尔特大学医学中心-精准和个性化医疗的全球领导者，迈阿密大学-健康差异研究和培训拉丁裔卫生专业人员的国际中心，以及Meharry医学院-全国最大的非裔美国人生产商，拥有生物医学博士学位和社区参与研究的领导者。该中心将利用独特的资产和资源，开发新的方法和途径，以促进人口健康。这些资源包括BioVU，世界上最大的生物银行之一，拥有超过20万个与强大的电子健康记录相关的DNA样本，NIH资助的健康差异中心，以及领导和协调区域和国家研究联盟的丰富经验。该中心的其他成员包括杰克逊州立大学和密西西比大学医学中心，这是解决东南部地区健康差距的主要合作伙伴。该中心将由具有互补专业知识的高技能PI领导：Consuelo H。Wilkins博士，MSCI，Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance执行董事; Nancy J.考克斯博士，范德比尔特遗传学研究所所长; Roy E.迈阿密大学医学系主任、医学博士韦斯和梅哈里医学院研究生院院长、博士Maria de法蒂玛利马。具体目标1：建立人力和技术基础设施，以促进跨学科的全国范围的研究合作，重点是使用精准医学方法消除健康差距。具体目标二：开发新的方法来整合个人，背景和环境数据（包括基因组，社会，文化，环境和临床），以准确识别有差异风险的精确群体，并解释差异的机制。具体目标3：利用基因组和表型数据推动新的健康差异研究，以a）检查药物治疗结果的差异; B）确定有效的个人特定治疗方法，提高种族和少数民族之间的治疗结果; c）研究影响药物特异性和反应的基因组变异; d）开发有效的预测模型（个人特定），用于预防，筛查和治疗疾病。具体目标4：制定道德，深思熟虑，社会和文化上可接受的方法，让种族和少数民族以及弱势群体参与精准医学研究，然后合作确定领域和相关方法，以确保尽早消除健康差距，特别是在非洲裔美国人和拉丁美洲人中。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed Vanderbilt-Miami-Meharry Center of Excellence in Precision Medicine and Population Health will bring together institutions and faculty with substantial expertise in precision medicine and health disparities research among African Americans and Latinos/Hispanics. The lead institutions in this Center are Vanderbilt University Medical Center- a global leader in precision and personalized medicine, the University of Miami- an international hub for health disparities research and training Latino health professionals, and Meharry Medical College- the nation's top producer of African Americans with a PhD in biomedical sciences and a leader in community engaged research. The Center will leverage unique assets and resources to develop novel methods and approaches to advance population health. These resources include BioVU, one of the largest biobanks in the world with more than 200,000 DNA samples linked to robust electronic health records, NIH-funded health disparities centers, and substantial experience leading and coordinating regional and national research consortia. Other members of the Center include Jackson State University and the University of Mississippi Medical Center, key partners in addressing health disparities in the Southeastern region. The Center will be led by highly-skilled PIs with complementary expertise: Consuelo H. Wilkins, MD, MSCI, Executive Director, Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance; Nancy J. Cox, PhD, Director, Vanderbilt Genetics Institute; Roy E. Weiss, MD, PhD, Chair, Department of Medicine, University of Miami; and Maria de Fatima Lima, PhD, Dean, Graduate School, Meharry Medical College. The specific aims are as follows: Specific Aim 1: Establish the human and technical infrastructure to foster transdisciplinary national-scale research collaborations that focus on using precision medicine approaches to eradicate health disparities. Specific Aim 2: Develop novel methods to integrate individual, contextual and environmental data (including genomic, social, cultural, environmental and clinical) to accurately identify precise groups at risk for disparities, and to explain mechanisms for disparities. Specific Aim 3: Propel novel health disparities research leveraging genomic and phenotypic data to a) examine differences in drug therapy outcomes; b) identify effective person-specific treatments that enhance therapeutic outcomes among racial and ethnic minorities; c) study genomic variations that impact the specificity and response of drugs; and d) develop valid predictive models (person-specific) for preventing, screening and treating conditions. Specific Aim 4: Develop ethical, deliberate, socially and culturally acceptable methods for engaging racial and ethnic minorities and vulnerable populations in precision medicine research, and then collaboratively identify the areas and associated methods to secure the earliest impact on eliminating health disparities as top priorities specifically among African Americans and Latinos.