Research Infrastructure Core Facilities at Research Centers in Minority Institutions: Part I—Research Resources Management, Operation, and Best Practices

Paul B. Tchounwou (), Mohamad Malouhi, Elizabeth O. Ofili, Emma Fernández-Repollet, Daniel F. Sarpong, Richard Yanagihara, Renato J. Aguilera, Cecilia Ayón, Xiaoxin Chen, Asok Dasmahapatra, Song Gao, Cimona V. Hinton, Robert Holt, Vladimir Kolesnichenko, Michael D. Powell, Fatima Merchant, Kinfe K. Redda, Abiel Roche-Lima, Cecilia M. Shikuma, Jacqueline J. Stevens, Jose A. Torres, Robert T. Trotter, James Wachira, Paul Wang, Kristen J. Wells, Jason White and Yanyuan Wu
Additional contact information
Paul B. Tchounwou: RCMI Center for Health Disparities Research, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39217, USA
Mohamad Malouhi: RCMI Center for Health Disparities Research, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39217, USA
Elizabeth O. Ofili: Department of Clinical and Translational Sciences, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA
Emma Fernández-Repollet: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, PR 00936, USA
Daniel F. Sarpong: Office of Health Equity Research, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
Richard Yanagihara: Department of Pediatrics & Department of Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
Renato J. Aguilera: RCMI Border Biomedical Research Center, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA
Cecilia Ayón: School of Public Policy, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
Xiaoxin Chen: RCMI Center for Health Disparities Research, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
Asok Dasmahapatra: RCMI Center for Health Disparities Research, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39217, USA
Song Gao: Center for Biomedical and Minority Health Research, Texas Southern University, Houston, TX 77004, USA
Cimona V. Hinton: Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA 30314, USA
Robert Holt: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208, USA
Vladimir Kolesnichenko: College of Pharmacy, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA 70125, USA
Michael D. Powell: Department of Clinical and Translational Sciences, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA
Fatima Merchant: Department of Engineering Technology, College of Technology, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77004, USA
Kinfe K. Redda: College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA
Abiel Roche-Lima: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, PR 00936, USA
Cecilia M. Shikuma: Department of Pediatrics & Department of Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
Jacqueline J. Stevens: RCMI Center for Health Disparities Research, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39217, USA
Jose A. Torres: Department of Basic Sciences, Ponce Health Sciences University, Ponce, PR 00716, USA
Robert T. Trotter: Center for Health Equity Research, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
James Wachira: RCMI Center for Urban Health Disparities Research and Innovation, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA
Paul Wang: Department of Radiology, Howard University, Washington, DC 20059, USA
Kristen J. Wells: Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
Jason White: RCMI Center for Biomedical Research, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, USA
Yanyuan Wu: Department of Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew University, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 24, 1-26

Abstract: Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Program fosters the development and implementation of innovative research aimed at improving minority health and reducing or eliminating health disparities. Currently, there are 21 RCMI Specialized (U54) Centers that share the same framework, comprising four required core components, namely the Administrative, Research Infrastructure, Investigator Development, and Community Engagement Cores. The Research Infrastructure Core (RIC) is fundamentally important for biomedical and health disparities research as a critical function domain. This paper aims to assess the research resources and services provided and evaluate the best practices in research resources management and networking across the RCMI Consortium. We conducted a REDCap-based survey and collected responses from 57 RIC Directors and Co-Directors from 98 core leaders. Our findings indicated that the RIC facilities across the 21 RCMI Centers provide access to major research equipment and are managed by experienced faculty and staff who provide expert consultative and technical services. However, several impediments to RIC facilities operation and management have been identified, and these are currently being addressed through implementation of cost-effective strategies and best practices of laboratory management and operation.

Keywords: RCMI program; research infrastructure core; laboratory management and operation; best practices (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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