UNLV's new School of Public Health has received a $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish an academic Center of Excellence for Health Disparities Research, university officials announced today.
The three-year grant, which was awarded by the NIH National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD), will help UNLV to improve its research capacity and provide outreach and education to Nevada's minorities and other medically underserved populations.
According to the NCMHD, there is a profound disparity in health status among America's racial and ethnic minorities, resulting in part from a lack of knowledge about and treatment of serious health issues, including cancer, diabetes, infant mortality, AIDS, cardiovascular illnesses, and others. UNLV's School of Public Health will work to address these disparities by working in partnership with community leaders to prevent disease, injury, and disabilities in underserved communities.
"This grant establishes UNLV's School of Public Health as a leader in biomedical and bio-behavioral research and policy development," said Dr. Michelle Chino, associate professor of public health and director of the new center. "Through research, community outreach, training, and education initiatives, UNLV can play a critical role in addressing and, ultimately, eliminating health disparities in Nevada and the nation."
Dr. Mary Guinan, interim dean of the UNLV School of Public Health and co-investigator on the grant, said Dr. Chino's credentials as a leader in minority health research was one of the major reasons they were awarded the NIH grant.
Research projects proposed for the new center include the study of health disparities in Nevada, the level of access the state's working poor have to health care, the cultural context of diabetes translational research for American Indians, and an analysis of technological capabilities of resources and programs for medically underserved populations.
As part of the outreach component, the center will develop partnerships with several community agencies, such as the State Division of Health and the Clark County Health District, as well as with other entities on campus. Students and faculty from UNLV's Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach, the William S. Boyd School of Law, and the Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy will collaborate on many of the center's efforts.
In addition, the center will also host numerous workshops and sponsor an annual research forum. Several graduate assistantships will be available, as well as research opportunities for undergraduates and graduate students alike.
The center is unique to Nevada and one of only three such facilities in the intermountain west. The other two are located at the University of Arizona and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
UNLV's School of Public Health, a unit in the division of health sciences, is designed to prepare students to be public health professionals in the private and public sectors with the overall goal of promoting and protecting the health of individuals in our society. The program will offer a master of public health degree and will have four main specialty areas, including health promotion, environmental and occupational health, health care administration, and biostatistics and epidemiology.
The School of Public Health will also offer existing degrees in closely related fields to approximately 155 current students enrolled in health education, health care administration, and health promotion.
