Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Coordinating Center

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The overall objective of the proposed RCMI Coordinating Center (RCMI CC) is to serve as a national resource to advance the science of minority health and health disparities across the RCMI U54 Centers through coordination of intellectual exchange and collaborative interactions that enhance research capacity and competitiveness. To achieve this objective, the RCMI CC will engage the RCMI U54 PI/PDs and Core Directors for research infrastructure, investigator development, and community engagement, as well as develop a robust evaluation and tracking plan. Specific Aim 1. Coordinate program administration and evaluation across the RCMI U54 Centers Approach: Organize and convene an annual face-to-face RCMI grantees conference; convene monthly meetings of the RCMI U54 PI/PDs to discuss administrative issues and program evaluation; coordinate and enhance communication, marketing and outreach activities; develop common performance metrics. Specific Aim 2. Coordinate and leverage research resources to support scientific projects Approach: Convene monthly meetings of the U54 RCMI Research Infrastructure Core (RIC) Directors to discuss core facility management, sharing specialized equipment and other resources, researcher needs and research barriers; facilitate broad access to other non-RCMI research resources; provide methodology consultations; maintain a centralized database to track performance metrics. Specific Aim 3. Coordinate mentoring and career development of new and early-stage investigators Approach: Convene monthly meetings of the U54 RCMI Investigator Development Core (IDC) Directors to discuss mentoring strategies and best practices for pilot projects programs; facilitate broad access to and facilitate collaboration with RCMI and non-RCMI investigators. Specific Aim 4. Coordinate sustainable engagement with community organizations and partners Approach: Convene monthly meetings of the U54 RCMI Community Engagement Core (CEC) Directors to discuss best practices for community engagement; facilitate broad access and collaboration with RCMI and non-RCMI community partners; foster sustainable relationships with community-based organizations. Based on our previous experience of successfully administering the RCMI Translational Research Network, the expectation is that the proposed RCMI CC will have a significant impact on improving coordination and communication across the RCMI U54 Centers.