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SUNY Downstate Awarded Nearly $6M In Grants to Support Training in Health Disparities and Equity-Focused Research

By Office of Communications & Marketing | Jul 12, 2022

Funding Provided by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the Health Resources and Services Administration will aid Downstate’s CREST and Center of Excellence Programs

Brooklyn, NY – SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University has received two grants – a combined $5.9M in funding over five years—to Downstate from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the Health Resources and Services Administration. The grants will support health disparities and equity-focused research training through Downstate’s Clinical Research Scholars Training Program (CREST) and the Center of Excellence – New York State Department of Health Equity Policy Fellowship Program (COE Fellowship). The CREST program will receive $2.6M and the COE Fellowship Program will receive $3.3M.

“We’re delighted to be supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the Health Resources and Services Administration as we continue to provide training opportunities to clinical fellows and junior faculty,” said Downstate senior vice president for research David Christini, Ph.D. “Promoting diversity in the biomedical research workforce is crucial, and SUNY Downstate is proud to position clinician-scientists who can advance equity and conduct transformative health disparities research through these programs.”

The CREST Master’s in Public Health, led by MPI/PD team Carla Boutin Foster, M.D., MS, W. Marcus Lambert, Ph.D., and Marlene Camacho-Rivera Sc.D., MS, MPH, is a two-year, tuition-free research program leading to a Master’s in Public Health from the Downstate School of Public Health; it is designed specifically for physicians and nurses from an underrepresented group. The curriculum focuses on many areas of research methodology, including biostatistics, epidemiology, and mixed-methods research delivered via innovative hybrid and hy-flex (evening, synchronous online, asynchronous online, and in-person) modalities. In addition, CREST-MPH trainees receive up to $9,000 as a one-time stipend for training-related expenses.

CREST-Pilot grants provide up to $50,000 for junior faculty and early-stage investigators interested in jump-starting their research careers by collecting pilot data that can be used to apply for career development and R-type awards. The CREST-Pilot program is a one-year program for physicians and nurses from underrepresented groups with prior research training and a demonstrated capacity for an independent research career.

Additionally, the COE Fellowship program curriculum focuses on health policy. It is delivered via innovative hybrid and hy-flex (evening, synchronous online, asynchronous online, and in-person) modalities. Trainees will receive up to $20,000 as a one-time stipend for training-related expenses. The two-year tuition-free research curriculum leads to a Master’s in Public Health from the Downstate School of Public Health in Health Policy and Management or Healthcare Administration and is open to trainees at any junior faculty level with a terminal doctoral degree—DNP, MD, Ph.D., DrPH, DPT, OTD—or equivalent health-related doctoral degree) who are at the assistant level or are instructors from underrepresented backgrounds in health policy and research. The COE is led by Dr. Boutin-Foster and School of Public Health associate dean for Education Anika Daniels-Osaze, Ed.D., MPH.

“In line with SUNY Downstate’s 20-year track record of programs that promote diversity in the biomedical research workforce, our CREST and COE programs were developed in direct response to the national call for an increase in equity-focused research,” said associate vice president for Institutional Equity and College of Medicine associate dean for Diversity Education and Research Carla Boutin-Foster, M.D., MSc.

“It’s an honor to be supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the Health Resources and Services Administration,” said associate vice president for Research Strategy and Operations W. Marcus Lambert, Ph.D. “These grants help Downstate to grow a critical mass of well-trained and diverse scientists, enhance research capacity at Downstate and subsequently, contribute to reducing health disparities in Brooklyn.”

CREST training will contribute to a cadre of nurse investigators under the direction of College of Nursing dean and professor Lori Escallier, Ph.D., R.N., and associate dean for Research, Scholarship & Evaluation Annie Rohan, Ph.D., R.N.

An information session on these programs and the application process will be held on July 12th at 5:30 pm. All applications are due by July 27th, roughly one month ahead of the anticipated fellowship start date on August 30th. For more information, visit https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMkceqvpjopHNNy0mdHZCCVpCKE2wh6B8kA.

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Contact: Dawn S. Walker
917.439.9666 | 347.533.2071
dawn.walker@downstate.edu

About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is the borough's only academic medical center for health education, research, and patient care. It is a 342-bed facility serving the healthcare needs of New York City and Brooklyn's 2.6 million residents. University Hospital of Brooklyn (UHB) is Downstate's teaching hospital, backed by an outstanding medical school's expertise and world-class academic center research facilities. More than 800 physicians, representing 53 specialties and subspecialties—many of them ranked as tops in their fields—comprise Downstate's staff.

In addition to high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis (kidney diseases)—and offering the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn, among many other distinctive programs—Downstate also sponsors a major learning center for young children with developmental disorders and disabilities. In addition to UHB, Downstate comprises a College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, a School of Graduate Studies, a School of Public Health, and a multifaceted biotechnology initiative, including the Downstate Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT for early-stage and more mature companies, respectively. For more information, visit www.downstate.edu or follow us on Twitter at @sunydownstate.