Elizabeth City State University Minority International Research Training Program

描述(申请人提供)：美国最明显的不平等情况是在医疗保健结果方面，处于不利地位的少数族裔在几乎所有类别的慢性病中的发病率和死亡率都不成比例地高。造成健康差距的一个主要因素是少数群体在生物医学和公共卫生研究中的代表性严重不足。增加积极参与健康差距研究的少数族裔科学家的数量可能有助于减少、甚至消除健康差距。我们建议伊丽莎白城市州立大学(ECSU)少数民族健康和健康差距少数民族国际研究培训(E-MHIRT)计划为少数族裔学生提供机会，他们中的大多数来自北卡罗来纳州相当贫困的地区，在南部非洲著名非洲科学家的指导下获得宝贵的国际生物医学/公共卫生研究经验。这些学生中有相当一部分人从未出过该州。被选中的生物、化学、心理学、社会学和社会工作专业的优等生将用10周的暑期时间接受研究培训。此外，还将向他们介绍当地人民的语言和文化规范，从而开阔他们的视野。我们已经与博茨瓦纳大学从事药物发现和糖尿病研究的科学家建立了研究合作关系。E-MHIRT计划将在美国和世界其他地区消除健康差距的两个具体领域提供国际研究培训机会。第一部分是药物发现，目的是通过针对糖尿病、阿尔茨海默病、前列腺癌和艾滋病毒/艾滋病等对少数群体影响极大的健康差距疾病，针对这些疾病常见的一种关键酶(蛋白质)，引进源自非洲丰富的传统医疗做法的新治疗模式。第二部分是博茨瓦纳高血糖风险因素的调查，与我们来自美国、西印度群岛和津巴布韦的数据进行比较，以努力确定糖尿病为什么会不成比例地影响美国少数民族。世界卫生组织将糖尿病描述为一种全球流行病。E-MHIRT的学生将有机会展示和发表他们的发现，作为他们成为多产的生物医学和公共卫生科学家的准备的一部分。所有E-MHIRT奖学金获得者都将从ECSU毕业，从事直接解决美国少数族裔健康和健康差距问题的职业，从而增加拥有专业知识和资历的少数族裔人数，为提高美国弱势少数族裔的医疗保健提供质量做出关键贡献和决策。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The most evident case of disparities in the US is in health care outcomes where disadvantaged minorities have disproportionately high morbidity and mortality in almost all categories of chronic diseases. A major contributing factor to health disparities is the gross under-representation of minorities in biomedical and public health research. Increasing the number of minority scientists actively involved in health disparities research may contribute to reducing, and indeed, eliminating health disparities. We propose the Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) Minority Health and Health Disparities Minority International Research Training (E-MHIRT) Program to provide opportunities for minority students, most of whom come from the rather impoverished part of North Carolina, to gain valuable international biomedical/public health research experience under the tutelage of prominent African scientists in southern Africa. A significant number of these students have never traveled outside of the state. Selected honor students majoring in biology, chemistry, psychology, sociology and social work will spend 10 summer weeks receiving research training. In addition, they will be introduced to the languages and cultural norms of the people there, thus broadening their horizons. We have established research collaborations with scientists involved in drug discovery and diabetes research at the University of Botswana. The E-MHIRT Program will provide international research training opportunities in two specific areas of interest in combating health disparities in the USA and other parts of the world. Part I is Drug Discovery with a goal of introducing new treatment modalities derived from Africa's rich traditional medical practice for such health disparities diseases as diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, prostate cancer and HIV/AIDS all of which disproportionately affect minorities, through targeting a critical enzyme (protein) common to these diseases. Part II is a Survey of Risk Factors for High Blood Glucose in Botswana for comparison with our data from the USA, West Indies and Zimbabwe in an effort to identify causes for why diabetes, described by the World Health Organization as a global epidemic, disproportionately affects US minorities. The E-MHIRT students will be given opportunities to present and publish their findings as part of preparing them to be productive biomedical and public health scientists. All E-MHIRT Scholars are expected to graduate from ECSU and pursue careers that directly address minority health and health disparities in the USA, thereby increasing the' number of minorities with expertise and credentials to make critical contributions and decisions on improving the quality of health care delivery to the disadvantaged minorities in the USA.