# Investigator Development Core

> **NIH NIH P50** · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2020 · $231,793

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Historically and for centuries, African-Americans have been among the most affected by health disparities, as
reflected in their markedly higher death rates, infant mortality, and other measures of longevity and quality of life.
One of the worst and persistent disparities in our nation affects African-American women and their children, who
bear an overwhelming burden of maternal and infant mortality and other poor maternal and child health indicators
of health-related quality of life. There is also ample evidence that minorities, and especially African-Americans,
are poorly represented among individuals receiving doctoral degrees in the biological sciences (e.g., only about
3% are African-Americans even though they represent more than 12% of the national population). African-
Americans are also disproportionately disadvantaged with respect to intramural and extramural NIH funding
awarded nationwide. Of total funding by the NIH, only 1.4% were received by African-American PI’s, and the
situation has not improved over time. A pathway to addressing this huge shortage in independently funded
African-American researchers is through a program that addresses health disparities coupled with support of
budding investigators from under-represented minorities. The Investigator Development Core (IDC) is one of
the key mechanisms by which the Maternal and Infant Environmental Health Riskscape (MIEHR) Research
Center will address this disparity to broaden the research base and enhance the Center’s impact. The IDC will
support professional development of investigators from health disparity populations interested in environmental
health disparities research. The Objective of the IDC is to stimulate, sponsor and support impactful research that
addresses environmental health disparities and promotes collaborative research among investigators from
multiple disciplines. The IDC will build on partnerships between Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and Texas
Southern University (TSU), one of the nation’s largest historically black universities in the nation, to recruit,
support and mentor post-doctoral and clinical fellows, as well as junior faculty, to pursue research in maternal
and infant environmental health. By supporting high-risk, high-impact pilot projects that explore new avenues
for research, respond to time-sensitive research opportunities, especially as they relate to disasters, and
generate preliminary data to strengthen grant applications through other funding mechanisms, the IDC will
promote career development in health disparity populations and foster collaborative research that integrates
investigators with multiple skills and talents. Key evaluative metrics of the Core will be related to how the pilot
projects ultimately help launch careers and address disparities in environmental health. Hence, the IDC is pivotal
to enhance the environmental health identity and impact of the MIEHR Center research, and in addressing the
gap in environmental he...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10062085
- **Project number:** 1P50MD015496-01
- **Recipient organization:** BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Hamisu Salihu
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $231,793
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-16 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10062085

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10062085, Investigator Development Core (1P50MD015496-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10062085. Licensed CC0.

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