# UTEP FIRST Admin Core

> **NIH NIH U54** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS EL PASO · 2024 · $4,546,558

## Abstract

The overarching goal of the proposed UTEP FIRST Administrative Core is to achieve significant systemic and
sustainable institutional culture change that support development and retention of faculty who have an inclusive-
excellence mindset and who excel in research focused on reducing Hispanic Health Disparities [HHD]. To reach
its goals, the AC will involve stakeholders across the university in its strategic actions and development of
policies, procedures, and processes. In addition, the AC will work closely with the Faculty Development Core
and coordinate with the Evaluation Core to assess the impact and make improvements throughout the course of
the grant. The Specific Aims enumerated below align with the Inclusive Excellence framing adopted by the
university. Aim 1: Cultivate institutional structures that ensure HHD researchers flourish and excel. The
proposed activities will invest in the infrastructure and resources needed to support the growth of HHD
bureaucratic structures that provide equitable and inclusive policies, procedures, practices, and processes. Aim
2: Examine and improve behaviors across the university and units that contribute to the growth of HHD
researchers and make excellence inclusive. The proposed activities will establish best practices for faculty
searches and hiring that use an Inclusive Excellence approach, deliver professional development workshops
that reinforce Inclusive Excellence practices inside and outside the classroom, and create programming that
prepares and empowers future leaders who champion Inclusive Excellence. Aim 3: Establish knowledge-
informed processes to continuously improve inclusive excellence focused on the progression of FIRST
cohort faculty and other HHD investigators. The activities will include conducting the AAAS STEMM Equity
Achievement [SEA] Change self-assessment to establish DEI action plans and create a data dashboard that
includes access to research-based studies that inform decision-making. The AC expected outcomes are:
successful hires of a six-researcher cohort that is composed of highly qualified faculty in HHD research and
committed to Inclusive Excellence; the FIRST faculty cohort receive constructive feedback during performance
evaluation and are involved in multi-level mentoring that supports their progression toward T&P; professional
development workshops are effective based on Inclusive Excellence indicators; institutional policies and
procedures aligned with Inclusive Excellence are institutionalized; and FIRST faculty move from early-stage
investigators to established principal investigators to emergent leaders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10857170
- **Project number:** 5U54CA280922-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS EL PASO
- **Principal Investigator:** Deana Pennington
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $4,546,558
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-06-05 → 2025-04-08

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10857170

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10857170, UTEP FIRST Admin Core (5U54CA280922-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10857170. Licensed CC0.

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