# RCMI@Morgan: Center for Urban Health Disparities Research and Innovation

> **NIH NIH U54** · MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $2,748,502

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT:
The goal of this proposal is to establish a Center for Urban Health Disparities Research and
Innovation at Morgan State University (MSU) (RCMI@Morgan) to combat urban health and
health disparity issues in Baltimore and similar urban settings. The RCMI@Morgan will: 1)
strengthen MSU's research infrastructure for knowledge acquisition and translational research in
biomedical sciences; 2) provide a host of professional development programs to nurture a group
of health disparities researchers and innovators; 3) strengthen collaborations with the two
research-intensive institutions in Baltimore (Johns Hopkins University – JHU and the University
of Maryland, Baltimore - UMB); and 4) engage in collaborations with community-based
organizations and government agencies. The proposed areas of health disparities/urban health
research include infectious diseases, cardiovascular health, cancers and diabetes, drug addiction
research, health informatics, and food security. The three proposed RCMI research projects are:
1) The relationship between socioeconomic status and poverty and mRNA expression in immune
cells; 2): Assessing the effectiveness of virtual versus in-person motivation for smoking
cessation among youths and adults; 3) HIV/HCV-related health disparities in Baltimore: from
community to lab bench. Through the RCMI pilot project program, we will fund and nurture a
cadre of MSU researchers in the aforementioned urban health and health disparities research
areas, including potential translational research projects for commercialization. A unique feature
of RCMI@Morgan is to blend the basic science researchers with the behavioral/public health
researchers. We will also recruit a senior basic biomedical science researcher who will help to
develop partnerships among the researchers, and team up with senior faculty members from
MSU, JHU and UMB. Further, we will collaborate with researchers from other RCMI
institutions through the RCMI Translational Research Network's Data Coordinating Center
(RTRN DCC), to mentor all the junior faculty members at MSU to develop them as independent
researchers. Finally, the RCMI@Morgan will become a research hub on urban health disparities
and an integral part of the City of Baltimore through community engagement and community-
based participatory research.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9986902
- **Project number:** 5U54MD013376-02
- **Recipient organization:** MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Hongtao Yu
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $2,748,502
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-31 → 2024-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9986902

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9986902, RCMI@Morgan: Center for Urban Health Disparities Research and Innovation (5U54MD013376-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9986902. Licensed CC0.

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