INVESTIGATOR DEVELOPMENT CORE-ABSTRACT The Investigator Development Core (IDC) will ensure that the NY Center for Minority Health, Equity and Social Justice (NYC-MHESJ) addresses the development of underrepresented minority early-career investigators in basic biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research through a pilot project program, mentoring, and other professional development activities. The pilot project program will allow researchers to generate preliminary data for grant applications, mainly focusing on research related to diseases that disproportionally impact minority or other disparity populations or those that address health disparities. Additional IDC professional development opportunities to increase junior faculty and post-doctoral fellows' participation, advancement, and leadership capabilities will be linked to this core. The core goal is to enable our junior researchers to successfully apply for extramural funding and progress in their academic careers. The specific aims of the core are to: 1) Develop and administer a pilot project program within the center focused on the academic development of underrepresented minority junior faculty and post-docs across the full spectrum of research focused on addressing health disparities. 2) Mentor the pilot project investigators for their career development, publications, and research outcomes derived from pilot project funds. 3) Implement and facilitate a grant submission timeline for extramural funding appropriate to the pilot investigator's career stage. The IDC is envisioned as a magnet and an engine - a magnet that attracts early- stage investigators into health disparities research and an engine that nurtures them toward success in NIH grant funding. Findings from the proposed pilot project health disparities research program will lead to new K, R, and equivalent extramural grants, the outcomes of which will contribute to healthier communities across the nation.