New Grant Renewal Application Successful

The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) is funded at $15.7 Million to help strengthen the FAMU Center for Health Disparities Research

Tallahassee, FL – Just a little background history please and thank you: The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI Program at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) was established in 1985 through a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) as a congressionally mandated program to support minority institutions. In 2012, the RCMI Program was transferred to the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The RCMI Program had a tremendous impact on enhancing the research capacity and infrastructure at FAMU: it recruited promising researchers and established research infrastructure by acquiring advanced instrumentation, developing innovative biomedical research laboratories, funding research facilities, and providing other research support. The FAMU RCMI Sequencer has served as a cornerstone for the University and the College and has contributed to the attraction and training of outstanding minority students and faculty members, which in turn has contributed to our increased ranking with U.S. News & World Report Florida A&M University - Profile, Rankings and Data | US News Best Colleges.

According to Principal Investigator, Karam F.A. Soliman, PhD, this new grant in the amount of $15.7M demonstrates the continued support of the RCMI Center for 38 years ($76 million) which has allowed FAMU faculty to strengthen their biomedical research capabilities to facilitate their entry into the mainstream funding arena. The FAMU RCMI grant provides a vibrant research environment with workshops on innovative research techniques, frequent research workshops, and seminars by renowned and well-established world-class guest scientists. Also, the Center provides needed research support for early career investigators in Minority Health and Health Disparities. The FAMU RCMI Program continues to impact biomedical research at the University level, including the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health, School of the Environment, School of Nursing, College of Engineering (FAMU-FSU), and the College of Science and Technology departments: Biology and Chemistry. Since the FAMU RCMI’s beginning, the growing number of papers published in peer-reviewed journals and the number and amount of grants obtained by the faculty have been the most noticeable trademarks of its accomplishment. The FAMU RCMI also participates in a national consortium, the RCMI Translational Research Network (RTRN), which facilitates collaboration, large-scale projects,
and sharing facilities among Research Centers in Minority Institutions. The Theme of the RCMI Center is "One Team-One Goal, benefiting the health of minorities."

One of the most successful outcomes associated with the RCMI keystone is the graduation of minority PhDs; FAMU continues to train 60% of African American PhDs in the Pharmaceutical Sciences nationwide! The RCMI Center enables the FAMU CoPPS, IPH to achieve this level of success. The RCMI driver supports the graduate program’s infrastructure through the different cores and laboratory facilities. Our Minority PhD graduates occupy significant positions in Academia, the Federal Government, and the Pharmaceutical Industry. The RCMI also impacts the research activities of our master and undergraduate students. Many of our graduates successfully obtained R01, R21, U54, etc. Without the RCMI program, this tremendous success with the training of next-generation Biomedical Scientists would not have happened. We anticipate the new U54 RCMI will positively impact the training of highly skilled and talented next-generation minority biomedical scientists.

As is known by many, FAMU has received the Carnegie R2 classification as a Doctoral University with Higher research activity. The funding of the RCMI has a direct impact on obtaining our current Carnegie classification at the University. The RCMI provided the needed support to the PhD program in the Pharmaceutical Sciences through the help of the state-of-the-art infrastructure and the highly trained RCMI investigators. Moreover, FAMU’s envisioned 2021-2030 Biomedical/Behavioral Research initiative provides the framework to move the University to become "Internationally recognized as a premier land-grant and research institution committed to exemplary teaching, research, and service." These strategic initiatives include positioning FAMU as a Carnegie-classified R1 research institution.

With this renewed NIH, RCMI $15.7M funding, there’s a request for the institutionalization of two positions, as the University has previously institutionalized several positions because of RCMI funding. During the last RCMI cycle, the University hired Dr. Elizabeth Mazzio and Dr. Wang Zhang, who were initially hired as RCMI faculty, and now, both are in state-line positions as research faculty in the Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the CoPPS, IPH. FAMU-RCMI affirms its continuous commitment and willingness to provide state-line positions to Dr. Equar Taka, manager of proteomics, and Dr. Ramesh Badisa, flow cytometry manager, currently hired in the RCMI Center Grant within the CoPPS, IPH.

Further, with this recent funding, the University is committed to providing the funds through state-line positions to hire two new faculty members with current or recent support (within the last two years) by NIH R-series, P-series, and/or U-series awards or other federal or non-federal awards. These newly hired faculty will mentor junior investigators and help enhance FAMU’s research capabilities. One faculty member will be specialized in artificial intelligence (AI) and bioinformatics. By recruiting someone with such specialized skills, the aim is to foster innovative research in genomics, proteomics, drug discovery, and bioinformatics while creating new community engagement strategies augmenting FAMU’s contributions to the scientific community. Moreover, the other faculty will specialize in cancer biology related to oncogenic gene dysregulation and carcinogenesis. Adding these faculty members to the research team will strengthen the RCMI Center and the University's research capabilities, foster cross-disciplinary collaborations, and enhance the ability to translate innovative advancements into practical solutions that address the unique health challenges minority populations face. Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) (famu.edu)

In summary, The overarching goal of the Florida A&M University (FAMU) RCMI Center application (2024-2029) is to continue the progress of an interdisciplinary Center addressing minority health and health disparities using the previous achievements of the Center in reaching important milestones. Our Center for Health Disparities Research will continue enhancing basic biomedical and behavioral research at FAMU while improving the investigator's research skills.

The specific aims and overarching goals of the RCMI 2024-2029 $15.7M are to:

1. Enhance FAMU research capacity and rigor for basic biomedical/behavioral areas by supporting three innovative research projects, research infrastructure, and community engagement partnerships and activities to create a sustainable research environment. Meanwhile, we will provide all investigators and core leaders with the training and capacity to increase the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms and techniques to analyze and interpret large volumes of data more efficiently, leading to more accurate and insightful scientific discoveries and better approaches in serving the communities.
2. Increase the success rate of FAMU investigators in obtaining extramural research funding by enabling investigators to develop cutting-edge research competencies through the offering of a career enhancement program (CEP), the use of innovative technology, collaborations, and utilizing resources provided by the RCMI Coordinating Center (RCC) network
3. Support new faculty and early career investigators’ research career development in health disparities by establishing an Investigator Development Core that will provide pilot project funding, a robust mentoring program, and a platform through the Career Enhancement Program.
4. Enhance the tools for and conduct of research, generally and specifically, to improve minority health and reduce health disparities.
5. Establish and support partnerships with the community to create a sustainable research environment that addresses health disparities research. Establish the RCMI Community Engagement Core (CEC) to promote early education awareness, detection, and screening.

Overall FAMU RCMI Components

FAMU Center for Health Disparities Research FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIV SOLIMAN, KARAM F.A. Admin-Core-001 (030) Administrative Core FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIV Soliman, Karam F.A.

Capacity-Core-001 (888) Research Capacity Core FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIV REDDA, KINFE KEN Community-Core-001 (195)

Community Engagement Core FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIV Suther, Sandra G

Investigator-Core-001 (160) Investigator Development Core FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIV Lee, Eun Sook Yu

Optional-Core-001 (172) Recruitment Core FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIV Darling-Reed, Selina Faith Projects-001 (719)

Research Project-1: Midasin, A Novel Biomarker for Endocrine Resistant Breast Cancer FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIV Tilghman, Syreeta L Projects-002 (761)

Research Project-2: Functionally Selective Ligands Targeting 5-HT7 Receptor as Potential Antinociceptive Agents FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIV Ablordeppey, Seth Y Projects-003 (167)

Research Project-3: Effectiveness of an eHealth intervention for uptake of cervical cancer screening in Hispanic women FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIV Luque, John