During the past few decades generous funding of biomedical and
behavioral research by the Congress has resulted in a multitude
of scientific advances contributing to improved health and quality
of life. This national effort has been so successful that the Congress
has engaged in doubling the NIH budget over a five-year period.
During this process the Congress and Americans across the country
have become increasingly aware that the health of minorities and
other health disparity populations has not benefitted from our nation’s
progress in scientific discovery due to a wide range and variety
of disparities in health outcomes attributable to race, ethnicity,
gender, or lack of access to health care. It is clear that the American
people are deeply concerned about these health inequities. A recent
survey by Research!America found that over ninety percent of the
American public advocates concerted research efforts to overcome
these health disparities.
We are fortunate that the Congress shares these concerns and in
its wisdom has created at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD).This
new Center represents a significant evolution of the former NIH
Office of Research on Minority Health (ORMH).Our statutory authorities
are definitive and robust. The Congress created the Center with
a clear mandate for “the conduct and support of research, training,
dissemination of information, and other programs with respect to
minority health conditions and other populations with health disparities”
(Public Law 106-525).The law greatly expands the reach of the Center
to include for the first time other health disparity populations
as well, meaning any group exhibiting significant disparities in
the overall rate of disease incidence and prevalence, morbidity
and mortality, and survival rates as compared to the health status
of the general population. The new Center is considered an equal
partner with the many other NIH Institutes and Centers. With its
generous funding and new authorities, the Center will be able to
build upon the many collaborative research endeavors previously
undertaken by the ORMH and the Institutes and Centers.
Some have asked me about my vision for the new Center. The key
to this vision is embodied in what the creation of the Center represents
as expressed by the Congress and the American people. That key is
"inclusion". Now, with the support of the Congress and the Administration,
I believe the time has come when we can eliminate the health disparities
that afflict so many of our citizens. Now we can all sit at the
table as one, working together as a nation, to close the health gap
as an intrinsic part of ensuring the health of all Americans. We
have access to the great power, expertise, and resources of the
NIH to support us in this effort. Now, we can proceed boldly to
ensure that all Americans will experience the benefits derived from
cutting-edge biomedical, behavioral, and social science research
and research training.
These new opportunities are indeed real ones and the promise they
bring already is with us. Our vision of the future is a collective
one that is fundamentally linked to the development of our NIH strategic
plan for the reduction and ultimate elimination of health disparities.
I am pleased to report that the reach of the Center is both broad
and deep and the many partnerships we have developed will serve
as the guiding force in preparing the elements of our plan. We have
established working linkages with every state health agency. We
now can reach within every county and parish in the nation, even
to the individual level. We also have established relationships
with numerous other stakeholders, including research scientists,
professional and scientific organizations, health care providers,
consumer advocacy groups, academic institutions, educators, industry,
and a multitude of leaders within health disparity population groups.
We have established an advisory council that includes a wide range
of recognized experts in minority and other health disparities and
a number of individuals affected by these disparities. I am thankful
for the efforts and advice that we already have received from all
of these groups and individuals. We will ask them to join with us
as we continue to refine the strategic plan. We also will work with
them ultimately to disseminate our research findings across the
country.
We are fortunate that the Congress provided authority for the center
to undertake a number of programs to assist in accomplishing the
Center’s mission. In addition to funding investigator-initiated
research grants, we provide funding to institutions or consortia
to develop centers of excellence in biomedical and behavioral research,
research training, and community outreach for individuals who are
members of minority populations or other health disparity populations.
We also provide for research endowments at centers of excellence
to facilitate their research. In addition, we have established an
extramural loan repayment program for health professionals who engage
in minority health research or research into other health disparities.
By reaching the next generation of students, our programs will ensure
that our nation has a strong cadre of researchers in these areas.
This is so important, because our success ultimately will depend
upon our ability to prepare young Americans to assume future roles
in all of our activities.
I accept the position of Director of the new Center with
gratitude and humility. I am thankful to have received the role
to help shepherd our efforts toward the vision that we share. Having
devoted the past 25 years of my life to improving the health status
of minority populations, I bring my own energy and enthusiasm to
pursue the many opportunities that lie ahead. I am thankful to the
Congress and the American people who had the wisdom and compassion
to have our nation embark on this noble endeavor. I am also proud
to join in these efforts with my colleagues at the NIH, the world
leader in biomedical and behavioral sciences. Together we will accomplish
our goal of making “inclusion” a reality, ensuring the health of
all Americans.
