The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Translational Research Network: Building and Sustaining Capacity for Multi-Site Basic Biomedical, Clinical and Behavioral Research.

The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program was established by the US Congress to support the development of biomedical research infrastructure at minority-serving institutions granting doctoral degrees in the health professions or in a health-related science. RCMI institutions also conduct research on diseases that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities (ie, African Americans/Blacks, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Hispanics, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders), those of low socioeconomic status, and rural persons. Quantitative metrics, including the numbers of doctoral science degrees granted to underrepresented students, NIH peer-reviewed research funding, peer-reviewed publications, and numbers of racial and ethnic minorities participating in sponsored research, demonstrate that RCMI grantee institutions have made substantial progress toward the intent of the Congressional legislation, as well as the NIH/NIMHD-linked goals of addressing workforce diversity and health disparities. Despite this progress, nationally, many challenges remain, including persistent disparities in research and career development awards to minority investigators. The continuing underrepresentation of minority investigators in NIH-sponsored research across multiple disease areas is of concern, in the face of unrelenting national health inequities. With the collaborative network support by the RCMI Translational Research Network (RTRN), the RCMI community is uniquely positioned to address these challenges through its community engagement and strategic partnerships with non-RCMI institutions. Funding agencies can play an important role by incentivizing such collaborations, and incorporating metrics for research funding that address underrepresented populations, workforce diversity and health equity.

Reducing Disparities by way of a Cancer Disparities Research Training Program.

BACKGROUND: For minority populations, there is a continuing disparity in the burden of death and illness from cancer. Research to address this disparity should be conducted by investigators who can best understand and address the needs of culturally diverse communities. However, minorities are under-represented in health-related research. The goal of this project was to develop and evaluate an approach to motivating and preparing master's degree students for careers dedicated to cancer disparities research. METHOD: A Cancer Disparities Research Training Program (CDRTP) was initiated in 2010. The program consists of coursework, practicum experiences, and research opportunities. Assessment of the curriculum is based on monitoring achievement of evaluation indicators and included a mixed-method approach with included both quantitative and qualitative approach. RESULTS: In its first three years, the program graduated 20 trainees, all of whom were minorities (18 African Americans and two Asians). When asked about career goals, two-thirds of the trainees indicated interest in pursuing careers in research in cancer prevention and control. The trainees expressed high satisfaction with the courses, instructor, materials, and curriculum. Although trainees had suggestions about course details, evaluations overall were positive. Across focus groups, three recurrent themes emerged regarding activities to enhance the trainee experience: having a wider variety of topics, more guest speakers, and field trips. CONCLUSION: The CDRTP was intended to recruit students - primarily African Americans - into research on prevention and control of cancer disparities. Although final evaluation of the program's overall outcome will not be available for several years, this preliminary evaluation indicates early program success.

The impact of advanced maternal age (> or = 40 years) on birth outcomes among triplets: a population study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to determine the impact of advanced maternal age on the birth outcomes of triplet gestations. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study on 15,795 triplets born in the United States from 1995 to 1997. The generalized estimating equations framework was used to generate relative risks after capturing the effect of sibling correlations within triplet clusters. RESULTS: There was a 40% higher likelihood for stillbirths among older gravidas (> or = 40 years) as compared to younger mothers (20-29 years) although this was statistically non-significant. By contrast, we noted a significantly lower level of neonatal mortality (OR=0.36, 95% CI=0.19-0.67), perinatal mortality (OR=0.53; 95% CI=0.32-0.89) and infant mortality (OR=0.37; 95% CI=0.20-0.67) among older mothers. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate a "shifting phenomenon" whereby a higher level of intra-uterine demise was compensated by a higher rate of extra-uterine survival among triplets born to older mothers.