# Howard University Research Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities

> **NIH NIH U54** · HOWARD UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $154,500

## Abstract

OVERALL PROJECT ABSTRACT
The Howard University Research Centers in Minority Institutions (HU RCMI) program has a continuing interest
in developing a better understanding of the unique parameters associated with minority health and resolving
mechanisms of health disparities. This focus on minority health and health disparities is a critical component of
Howard’s institutional research mission and is an abiding commitment that the institution has to the
communities it serves. This renewal application recognizes the critical role of research in the implementation
of Howard’s commitment to further serve its surrounding communities and will enhance Howard’s capacity for
basic biomedical and clinical research by improving the quality of scientific inquiry, through partnerships with
community-based organizations, and by expanding the cadre of productive investigators on Howard’s campus.
In order to accomplish these institutional research goals, the HU RCMI will implement an investigator
development initiative which has the capacity to fast-track junior faculty and early stage investigators to the
level of successful and produce scientists. We will also provide a selection of state-of-the-art infrastructure
resources that Howard investigators can access to support their research efforts. These initiatives and
resources will be combined with the development of long-term relationships with surrounding community-based
organizations that will serve as conduits to insure that the needs and interests of the community are
represented in the university’s research agenda. These community connections will also serve as a potential
source of participants in Howard’s human subjects research and as conduit for disseminating to the community
results obtained from HU research efforts. Moreover, the HU RCMI will support three rigorous research
projects addressing health disparities experienced by African Americans. These projects will focus on hepatitis
C and diabetes (basic biomedical), prostate cancer (basic biomedical), and sleep disturbance and
cardiometabolic consequences in sickle cell disease (clinical). It should be noted the both of the biomedical
projects also have a clinical component. In order to insure that HU RCMI efforts are kept on target and
focused to meet institutional objectives, the entire HU RCMI program and each of its components will be
subjected to annual evaluation by an outside and independent evaluator. Together, the proposed HU RCMI
program activities will enable Howard to reach a critical level of minority health and health disparities research.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10304547
- **Project number:** 3U54MD007597-32S4
- **Recipient organization:** HOWARD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** William M. Southerland
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $154,500
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 1997-09-30 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10304547

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10304547, Howard University Research Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities (3U54MD007597-32S4). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10304547. Licensed CC0.

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