Background
In November 2000, Congress enacted the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act, formally establishing the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The development of this new center was significant for it symbolized a significant commitment at the federal level to the understanding and elimination of disparities in health status and access to health care services for both racial and ethnic minority and medically underserved populations in the United States (US).
Nearly one-third, of the NCMHD annual budget is dedicated to the Project EXPORT (Excellence in Partnerships, Outreach, Research, and Training) program. There are three funding mechanisms in the Project EXPORT program:
- R24 or Developmental Grant Awards are research capacity-building grants for institutions that lack a research infrastructure and who are beginning to develop health disparity programs;
- P20 or Exploratory Grant Awards are for institutions with a research infrastructure who are interested in developing health disparities research; and
- P60 Comprehensive Center Awards are the development of a health disparities research center at institutions with a demonstrated record in conducting scientifically sound research.
Since 2003, the New York University (NYU) Center for the Study of Asian American Health (CSAAH) is a designated Project EXPORT P60 Comprehensive Center. Each of the Project EXPORT Comprehensive Centers is required to have several key components or Cores:
CSAAH is a partnership with an academic medical and research center, several health care and public hospital organizations, and many community-based organizations and coalitions serving the New York City Asian American community.