University Times

The Center for Minority Health in the Graduate School of Public Health at Pitt received a $6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities.

The grant will establish a center of excellence designed to support community partnerships, outreach, research and training needed to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities.

The project will support a multidisciplinary team of faculty working in partnership with civic organizations, the faith community and private business.

The grant will focus on seven objectives:

• enhance support for and participation in research by the African American community;

• develop a participatory research program whereby the community identifies and participates in research that addresses community needs;

• translate research into usable guidelines for culturally competent and scientifically sound interventions, clinical practice and prevention activities;

• expand dissemination of health education and health information to community members and health care providers;

• train the State Health Improvement Partnerships to develop and sustain health promotion and disease prevention activities;

• implement educational programs to increase understanding of determinants of health disparities and enhance cultural competence in order to strengthen research and practice, and

• increase the number of African American and Latino students in Pitt health sciences graduate programs.

Principal investigator Stephen B. Thomas, Philip Hallen professor of community health and social justice and director of the minority health center, said: “The Center for Minority Health has secured approximately $8.5 million, all devoted to our campaign to promote health and prevent disease, especially for racial and ethnic minority populations.”

Other funds received over the past two years include:

* $450,000 multi-year award from the Pittsburgh Foundation to support the African American Health Promotion Campaign: Countdown to 2010;

* $150,000 from the Heinz Endowments;

* $300,000 from the State Department of Health;

* $50,000 from Judy Davenport;

* $10,000 from Gateway Health Plan, and

* a yet-to-be-announced contribution from GlaxoSmithKline.