Dr. William Coleman Award

NIMHD宣布2017年小威廉·G·科尔曼博士，少数民族健康和健康差距研究创新奖。科尔曼博士是科学界的杰出成员。2011年1月，他被任命为NIMHD壁内研究计划的负责人，成为NIH壁内研究计划历史上第一位永久的非裔美国人科学主任。他负责指导NIMHD的跨学科组合，主要侧重于健康差距的生物和非生物决定因素。他的研究包括在脂多糖的生物合成以及幽门螺杆菌感染的先天性和获得性免疫反应方面的大量工作。幽门螺杆菌是一种导致胃部感染的细菌，它与胃炎、溃疡和胃癌有关，这些疾病影响着数百万美国人，在墨西哥裔美国人和非西语裔黑人中更为常见。 科尔曼博士被认为是导师制的支持者，他将大量时间用于培训未来的科学家--尤其是在差异研究方面。科尔曼奖是一个竞争性奖项，旨在支持创新的研究想法和概念-提出在少数群体健康和健康差距研究领域产生巨大影响的潜力。申请程序向博士后研究员、专职科学家和专职临床医生开放，由NIMHD内部调查人员或NIMHD兼职内部调查人员指导。申请者被要求提交一份三页的提案、中心假设、详细的具体目标，以及对预期结果和该方法可能出现的预期陷阱的讨论。他们还被要求说明成功完成该提案将如何影响少数群体健康和(或)健康差距科学的进步。该奖项为处于职业生涯早期的研究人员提供了进行研究的机会，我们希望这些研究将有助于推动少数民族健康和健康差距的科学研究。获奖者每人获得15,000美元，用于2017财年使用的用品和服务。 美国国立卫生研究院内部研究计划的三名博士后研究员被选为首届小威廉·G·科尔曼博士，少数民族健康和健康差距研究创新奖获得者。获奖者是NCI、NHGRI和NIMHD的研究员。它们是： 特雷西·M·莱恩博士是美国国家癌症研究所的博士后研究员。她在波士顿大学公共卫生学院攻读流行病学专业，获得医学硕士学位。莱恩博士随后完成了她的博士学位，这是耶鲁-国家癌症研究所癌症流行病学伙伴关系培训项目的一部分，该培训项目位于癌症流行病学和遗传学部门。她的项目《非裔美国人男性的前瞻性代谢特征和前列腺癌风险》旨在确定非裔美国人男性前列腺癌的生化特征，这些特征可能导致他们过度的疾病负担。根据疾病控制和预防中心(链接是外部的)，非裔美国人男性的发病率最高，而且比其他任何种族或民族都更有可能死于前列腺癌。研究还表明，非洲裔美国男性患上更具侵袭性的疾病，而且年龄更小。尽管存在这些长期的差异，但这一群体仍然是一个研究不足的高危群体。需要进一步的研究来弥合我们在非裔美国人男性中对这种疾病的理解上的差距。 坎迪斯·米德尔布鲁克斯博士是美国国家人类基因组研究所的博士后。她在布法罗大学获得自然科学硕士学位，并在埃默里大学获得遗传学和分子生物学博士学位，在那里她进行了遗传流行病学领域的研究。她的项目《镰刀细胞患者腿部溃疡发生的遗传风险修饰物》使用全外显子组测序和微生物组特征，将检查洞察力的整个外显子组序列，以研究患有或不患有腿部溃疡的患者-以确定可能导致腿部溃疡风险增加的基因变异。腿部溃疡是镰状细胞病(SCD)的常见和致残性并发症，SCD是一种遗传性血液疾病，出生时就存在，影响大约10万美国人。每13个非洲裔美国婴儿(LINK是外部的)中就有一个出生时具有镰状细胞特征(SCT)，这意味着他们携带单个SCD基因，并可以将其遗传给他们的孩子；然而，特征携带者通常没有SCD症状，并过着正常的生活。 梅勒妮·萨巴多博士是NIMHD的博士后研究员。她在克莱蒙特研究生院获得了健康促进科学博士学位，重点是社区和全球健康。她获得了加州州立大学富勒顿分校健康促进和疾病预防专业的硕士学位。她的青年成年太平洋岛民心理健康行为和耻辱评估项目将探讨太平洋岛民青年对心理健康的需求、态度和信念，以及鼓励或阻碍他们参与卫生保健服务、获得和利用的因素。2014年，超过220万的亚裔太平洋岛民患有可诊断的精神疾病。心理健康差异在太平洋岛民社区中研究不足，也没有得到充分的代表，在那里，对文化污名以及寻求治疗和获得护理的其他障碍的更好理解，可以开始为更好的结果提供见解。

NIMHD announced the 2017 William G. Coleman, Jr., Ph.D., Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Innovation Award. Dr. Coleman was a distinguished member of the scientific community. He became the first permanent African American scientific director in the history of the NIH Intramural Research Program in January 2011 when he was appointed to direct the NIMHD Intramural Research Program. He was responsible for directing NIMHDs trans-disciplinary portfolio focusing primarily on the biological and non-biological determinants of health disparities. His research included substantial work on the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide and on the innate and adaptive immune response to Helicobacter pylori infection. H. pylori, a type of bacteria that causes infection in the stomach, is associated with gastritis, ulcers and gastric cancers, which affect millions of Americans and is more common among Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic blacks. Dr. Coleman was known as a proponent of mentorship, and dedicated much of his time to training future scientists - particularly around disparities research. The Coleman Award, a competitive award, seeks to support innovative research ideas and concepts - proposing potential for high impact in areas of minority health and health disparities research. The application process was opened to postdoctoral fellows, staff scientists, and staff clinicians under the mentorship of either NIMHD intramural or NIMHD adjunct intramural investigators. Applicants were required to present a three-page proposal, central hypothesis, detailed specific aims, and a discussion of the expected outcome and possible anticipated pitfalls to the approach. They were also asked to include a description of how successful completion of the proposal will influence the advancement of the science of minority health and, or health disparities. The award provides opportunities for investigators who are early in their careers to conduct studies that we hope will help advance the science of minority health and health disparities. Award recipients received $15,000, each for supplies and services to be used in FY 2017. Three postdoctoral fellows within the NIH Intramural Research Program were selected to receive the first William G. Coleman Jr., Ph.D., Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Innovation Award. The awardees are fellows at NCI, NHGRI, and NIMHD. They are: Dr. Tracy M. Layne is a postdoctoral fellow at the National Cancer Institute. She received her M.P.H. at the Boston University School of Public Health with a concentration in epidemiology. Dr. Layne then completed her Ph.D. as part of the Yale-National Cancer Institute Partnership Training Program in Cancer Epidemiology in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. Her project Prospective Metabolomic Profiling and Prostate Cancer Risk in African American Men, seeks to identify the biochemical characteristics of prostate cancer in African American men that may contribute to their excess disease burden. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (link is external), African American men have the highest incidence rate, and are more likely to die from prostate cancer than any other racial or ethnic group. Research also shows that African American men experience more aggressive forms of disease and at younger ages. Despite these long-standing disparities, this population remains an under-studied, high risk group. Further research is needed to bridge the gaps in our understanding of this disease among African American men. Dr. Candace Middlebrooks is a postdoctoral fellow at the National Human Genome Research Institute. She obtained a M.S. degree in Natural Science from the University of Buffalo and a Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology at Emory University where she performed research in the field of Genetic Epidemiology. Her project Investigation of Genetic Risk Modifiers of Leg Ulcer Development in Sickle Cell Patients Using Whole Exome Sequencing and Microbiome Characterization, will examine the germline whole exome sequences of the INSIGHTS study patients who have, or do not have leg ulcers - to identify genetic variation that may contribute to increased risk for leg ulcers. Leg ulcers are a common and disabling complication of sickle cell disease (SCD), which is an inherited blood disorder that is present at birth and affects approximately 100,000 Americans. One in 13 African American babies (link is external) is born with the sickle cell trait (SCT), meaning they carry a single gene for SCD and can pass it along to their children; however, trait carriers usually do not have symptoms of SCD and live a normal life. Dr. Melanie Sabado is a postdoctoral fellow at NIMHD. She earned her Ph.D. in Health Promotion Sciences with a focus in Community and Global Health from Claremont Graduate University. She received her M.P.H. with a concentration in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention from California State University, Fullerton. Her project Assessment of Mental Health Behaviors and Stigma Among Young Adult Pacific Islanders, will explore young adult Pacific Islander needs, attitudes, and beliefs regarding mental health and factors that encourage or hinder their participation in health care services, access, and utilization. Over 2.2 million of the Asian American-Pacific Islander population had a diagnosable mental illness in 2014. Mental health disparities are understudied and underrepresented among Pacific Islander communities, where a better understanding about cultural stigma, as well as other barriers to seeking treatment and access to care can begin to provide insights toward better outcomes.