SDSU HealthLINK Center for Transdisciplinary Health Disparities Research

OVERALL – Project Summary The SDSU HealthLINK Center for Transdisciplinary Health Disparities Research (SDSU HealthLINK Center; Center) was established in 2018 to augment investigator, partner, and institutional capacity for minority health and health disparities (MHHD) research at SDSU and SDSU Imperial Valley (SDSUIV), a second campus located in a rural community along the California-Mexico border. SDSU is a Minority-Serving Institution with health-related doctoral programs in several health-related disciplines. Despite significant strides in improving individual, partner, and institutional capacity to conduct innovative, transdisciplinary research, our institutions continue to lack adequate infrastructure and support services to foster research. Thus, the objective of the SDSU HealthLINK Center is to build capacity within individuals and institutions to allow for new discoveries to be made and the translation of these discoveries to evidence-based practices and policies to promote health equity and reduce health disparities. In this revised renewal application, in response to RFA-MD-24-001, we propose the following five specific aims that align with the goals of the RCMI specialized centers: 1) enhance institutional research capacity; 2) enhance investigator and partner capacity; 3) foster an institutional environment conducive to career development; 4) enhance the availability of research tools and resources; and 5) cultivate sustainable research and research translation efforts with community partner organizations. To accomplish Aim 1, the Center will support the implementation of three innovative research projects (RPs), including a basic biomedical RP, a behavioral/population RP, and a clinical/health services RP. In addition, through the Research Capacity and Community Engagement Cores, the RP teams will receive training and consultation in innovative and rigorous approaches for engaging in MHHD research. To accomplish Aim 2, the Center will fund 10 pilot projects and support their completion and transition to extramural funding through focused grant writing and project management training, gaps identified in our first 5-yr. funding cycle. To accomplish Aim 3, the Center will broaden the reach of the knowledge and skills transfer process by hosting career enhancement workshops for a broader audience, and fostering the use of research services through the RCC and CEC, in part, by promoting the established Cost Recovery Service. To accomplish Aim 4, the Center will expand the availability of research services to include training in data science and the ethical conduct of human subjects’ research. Research training and tools will be broadly disseminated through the Center- developed Health Science Research Portal. To accomplish Aim 5, the Center will maintain a 12-member Community Coalition to foster the uptake of evidence-based practices and policies. This application to renew the SDSU HealthLINK Center will simultaneously address critical needs identified by faculty, staff, and administration at SDSU and SDSUIV, as well as foster innovative transdisciplinary MHHD research that has the potential to promote health equity and reduce health disparities.