Howard University Research Centers in Minority Institutions Informational Brochure

ABOUT THE

Howard University Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Program The Howard University RCMI Program focuses on the enhancement and development of necessary research infrastructure that will ensure Howard University’s ability to contribute to the resolution of those diseases which disproportionately affect disadvantaged and minority populations.

ADMINISTRATIVE CORE

RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE CORE (RIC)

Principal Investigator/Program Director William Southerland, Ph.D.

Bioanalytical-Proteomics Director

wsoutherland@howard.edu

snekhai@howard.edu

Administrative Director

Biomedical Imaging Director

Kisha Riddick

Paul Wang, Ph.D.

kisha.riddick@howard.edu

pwang@howard.edu

Program Manager

Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (CCBB) Director

Stacey McRae

THE HOWARD UNIVERSITY RCMI PROGRAM VISION AND GOALS Howard University’s role as a major comprehensive metropolitan research university is embedded in its research goals which are to “investigate diseases that disproportionately affect minority populations” and “encourage multi-disciplinary approaches to research.”

Critical to these goals is research on minority health and health disparities.

The HU RCMI Program functions as an essential partner in realizing the institution’s research goals, and aims to provide the following resources in the support of biomedical, translational, and clinical research: the Research Infrastructure Core, Investigator Development Core, and Community Engagement Core.

stacey.gerald@howard.edu

Administrative Coordinator Crystal Parks crystal.parks@howard.edu

Sergei Nekhai, Ph.D.

William Southerland, Ph.D. wsoutherland@howard.edu

Outcomes Research Center Director Edward Cornwell III, MD ecornwell@howard.edu

Professional Development Dexter Lee, Ph.D dllee@howard.edu

INVESTIGATOR DEVELOPMENT CORE (IDC)

Pamela Carter - Nolan, Ph.D.

Georges Haddad, Ph.D.

pcarter-nolan@howard.edu

ghaddad@howard.edu

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CORE (CEC)

REDCAP Nana Osafo nosafo@Howard.edu

Carla Williams, Ph.D. cdwilliams@howard.edu

AC K N O W LED G EMEN T The Howard University Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Program is funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number 2U54MD007597.

@HowardRcmi Howard U RCMI Program

rcmi@howard.edu https://rcmi.howard.edu

Howard U RCMI

Howard University Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Program

RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE CORE (RIC)

INVESTIGATOR DEVELOPMENT CORE (IDC)

The Research Infrastructure Core (RIC) provides a diverse cadre of services and resources to projects in the areas of biomedical, clinical, and behavioral science for the support of minority health and health disparities research.

The Investigator Development Core (IDC) provides a comprehensive career development program that will accelerate the growth of junior faculty and early stage investigators (ESI) into independent investigators.

• The Bioanalytical-Proteomics Core uses mass spectrometer equipment for the support of proteomic research at Howard University. The mission of the Howard University BioanalyticalProteomics Core Facility is to use mass spectrometry for studies of infectious and chronic disorders and to promote and facilitate translational research.

The IDC implements a tri-faceted approach to investigator development which involves providing pilot seed support, coordinating comprehensive career mentoring that includes both disciplinespecific research and professional advancement mentoring, and offering professional development trainings relevant to early stage investigators (e.g., grantsmanship, scientific presentation skills, and the elements and processes involved in scientific writing).

• The Biomedical Imaging Core uses scientific expertise, and state-of-the-art laboratories equipped with modern imaging equipment to support biomedical research and training at Howard University.

• The Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (CCBB) is a state-of-the-art center equipped with the necessary computer hardware, software, and personnel for the support of computational biology and bioinformatics research at Howard University.

• The Clive O. Callender Howard-Harvard Health Sciences Outcomes Research Center fosters interdisciplinary research particularly geared towards a better understanding of systems and processes that could lead to more equitable healthcare delivery.

Specific Aims: • Provide core research services and resources in the areas of Computational Biology & Bioinformatics (CCBB), Health Informatics (Outcomes Research Center, ORC), Biomedical Imaging, and Bioanalytical Proteomics.

• Systematically distribute this research support to HU RCMI investigators, their collaborators, and the entire HU research community.

• Evaluate the utilization and efficacy of the available research infrastructure support.

Specific Aims: • Provide pilot project seed funding that will generate sufficient preliminary data to support external grant proposals.

• Coordinate mentorship support for each pilot grant awardee that will combine both discipline-specific research and professional advancement mentoring into a comprehensive career mentoring approach.

• Conduct a program of professional development workshops and seminars for IDC awardees that includes the representative topics of grantsmanship, scientific presentation skills, and the elements and processes involved in scientific writing. It should be noted that these trainings will also be available to the greater HU community of investigators.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CORE (CEC) The Community Engagement Core’s (CEC) overarching goal is to assure that HU RCMI supported research addresses the needs and interests of the local surrounding community. To achieve this goal, communityacademic partnerships are designed and developed for sustained effort that promote integration between research, practice, and policy.

The Core develops community-oriented small media (e.g. infographics) to disseminate evidence-based health information stemming from HU RCMI research and other study results that address local community health concerns. To engage communities in the DC metropolitan area in impactful partnerships, the CEC addresses three specific aims.

Specific Aims: • Establish long-term relationships with local community-based organizations to address the health-related concerns of local communities.

• Work with community partners to promote participation in research, particularly recruitment and retention of study participants in RCMI-supported research projects.

• Disseminate findings from HU RCMI research to relevant communities.

Research Projects

REDCap

The RCMI Program provides support and oversight to the three R-Type (independent investigator) research projects led by Howard scientists that collectively span the areas of biomedical and clinical research in the study of diseases and related disease mechanisms that disproportionately impact minority populations.

REDCap provides automated export procedures for seamless data downloads to Excel and common statistical packages (SPSS, SAS, Stata, R), as well as a built-in project calendar, a scheduling module, ad hoc reporting tools, and advanced features, such as branching logic, file uploading, and calculated fields.