Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities

Research projects that involve community partnerships can be difficult to get off the ground due to a lack of funding for the initial phase of the research. CEMHD has developed a University-funded grant program that helps resolve this problem by providing funds for pilot studies that employ community-based participatory  research (CBPR) methodologies. Each year, it awards several grants of $5,000-$6,000 for projects that show promise to develop into fully-funded, large-scale investigations supported by federal agencies.

Who can apply?

We invite University at Albany faculty and staff, and community partners who are interested in conducting research whose goals are consistent with the aims of the Center to apply for support.  The Center’s aims are the following:
· Identify community health concerns and sources of disparities;
· plan strategies to alleviate them, and
· test their effectiveness.

Center associates who were previously funded by this grant remain eligible to apply for these funds.  Research projects can be the further development of a pilot project previously funded by the Center or a new idea as long as it is consistent with the mission of the CEMHD. We encourage Center associates who were community partners on previously-funded projects and who have ideas for continuation projects to contact faculty to collaborate on an application. 

Community partners can address questions about appropriate faculty members to Lawrence Schell, Robert Miller Jr., Wilma Alvarado-Little or David Strogatz. Contact information is available at our website: www.albany.edu/cemhd.

When complete, the research should be the basis for an application to a federal funding source, such as, but not limited to, the National Institutes of Health, for a larger-scale study (R-01 or R-03).

Funds Available

The award is for up to $6,000. 

Award Criteria

1. The stated goals of the research are clear.
2. The stated goals are consistent with the goals of the CEMHD. (This element also suggests the proposed research is potentially significant to     the elimination of minority health disparities.)
3. The narrative and supporting literature are consistent with the goals of the study.
4. The research questions are clearly stated and consistent with the goals of the research.
5. The methods section is consistent with both the stated goals and the research question.
6. The research plan (method) is feasible given the budget.
7. The successful completion of this research has a high likelihood for resulting in a publishable journal article.
8. The successful completion of this research effort will position the researcher to use this as pilot data for future external funding.
9. The principal investigator and the team are qualified to conduct the research.
10. The research will positively expand and or deepen the research portfolio of the CEMHD.
11. The researcher has included a letter of support from the community collaborator.
12. The researcher describes collaboration with stakeholders in the research.