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Minority Health Research Program (MHRP)

The Minority Health Research Program (MHRP) is a collaborative effort within the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities among historically under-represented and disadvantaged populations through research.  Additionally, the MHRP, in accordance with the requirements of our NIH grant, aims to improve the inclusion of minority and historically under-served populations as participants in clinical research studies at UMHS.  The key UMHS collaborators on this effort are Medical School’s Diversity & Career Development Office, Michigan Clinical Research Unit, UMHS Program for Multicultural Health, UMHS Ypsilanti Health Center (Family Medicine and Pediatrics), UM Comprehensive Cancer Center, and UMHS Women’s Health Program.  Representatives from each of these groups, along with MHRP community partners, comprise the MHRP Steering Committee that guides and supports this program.

The goals of the Minority Health Research Program are to:

• promote minority health and health disparities research within UMHS, local counties and the state of Michigan;
• actively involve the local community as the program develops to address local community health issues;
• improve in particular the inclusion of minority and historically under-served  populations as participants in ongoing clinical research studies;
• promote the recruitment and training of new faculty in areas of minority health disparities research; and
• bring research, teaching and training into the community with the establishment of the MHRP Clinical Research Unit at the Ypsilanti Health Center.

MHRP Community Advisory Board (CAB):  The Minority Health Research Program has convened a community advisory board.  The MHRP CAB’s mission is to advise on overall activities of this program including further development of the MHRP, reviewing and approving research studies with respect to promotion and recruitment of participants, assisting with promotion of and recruiting for the studies, and screening and education initiatives.  A key role of this board is linking relevant research questions with community needs/interests, and advising the MHRP on how best to conduct research on health issues that are important in the local community.

The MHRP is supported and funded by the University of Michigan Medical School Dean’s Office and an NIH grant from NCRR.