The Texas Resource Center on Minority Aging Research (RCMAR)

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ABSTRACT The overall purpose of the Texas RCMAR is to provide an infrastructure that facilitates the development of research on health and aging in minority populations with special focus on the Hispanic population in the United States as well as in Mexico. Special focus is given to mentoring researchers from underrepresented populations. The Texas RCMAR is based at the University of Texas Medical Branch with the University of Texas at Austin being the primary collaborating institution. To accomplish its objectives, the Texas RCMAR will have three cores: Administrative Core, Analysis Core, and Research Education Core. The Administrative Core will be directed by Kyriakos S. Markides, PhD, Gnitzinger Professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). As overall RCMAR Principal Investigator/Director, Dr. Markides will oversee and promote the activities of the other two cores. The Analysis core will be directed by Yong-Fang Kuo, PhD, Director of the UTMB Office of Biostatistics and Professor of Internal Medicine (Geriatrics) and of Preventive Medicine and Community Health. The Analysis Core will provide methodological and statistical support to promote the research and career development of minority aging investigators, especially those from underrepresented populations. The Core will interface with the Research Education Core to support Pilot research projects of mentored investigators and to participate in an annual two-day conference on minority aging to take place each September in conjunction with the annual International Conference on Aging in the Americas (ICAA) directed by Jacqueline Angel, PhD, University of Texas at Austin and member of our Research Education Core. The Research Education Core (REC) will be directed by Rebeca Wong, PhD, Kempner Professor and Director of UTMB's Pan American Health Organization Collaborating Center on Aging and Health. The REC will oversee funding of five pilot grants by minority investigators at UTMB, UT Austin and elsewhere. An effort will be made to recruit RCMAR scholars through the ICAA network of investigators conducting research on Hispanic aging in the United States and Mexico. Special emphasis will be given to providing training opportunities to Hispanic Servicing Institutions (e.g., University of Texas Pan American) and major universities in Texas with large numbers of minority/Hispanic students and faculty (e.g., Texas A&M University).