SJB Biomedical Research Center for Hispanic Health Disparities

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT As an Institution of Emerging Excellence (IEE) in Puerto Rico, San Juan Bautista School of Medicine (SJB) is in critical need of new infrastructure to facilitate the development of transformative, cutting-edge biomedical research addressing health disparities in our population.

As a Hispanic-serving institution, we are committed to training, supporting, motivating, and incentivizing investigators in developing research projects addressing minority health disparities. This project will prioritize research studies on women, youth, and children's health and health equity in conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, infectious diseases,

violence, and trauma. The new SJB Biomedical Research Center for Hispanic Health Disparities (SJB BioReC) will significantly enhance the research endeavors of SJB investigators, collaborators, and students by providing a unique set of capabilities currently unavailable. The SJB BioRec will be a central component of the SJB Research Center for

accomplishing the following four objectives: 1) meet the current and projected future research demand, 2) enable faculty, students, and collaborators to develop research expertise in addressing health disparities, 3) enhance institution-wide research programs, including the creation of a Ph.D., and 4) increase the number of students entering research interdisciplinary

programs. The primary approach for achieving these objectives is constructing new biomedical research facilities on a 1.7-acre parcel of land owned by SJB contiguous to the Institution's current facilities. The single-level building will include 2 Core Labs, 2 Cell Culture Rooms, a Sample Collection and Preparation Room, a Data Analysis, Shared Equipment, Group

Discussion and Dark Rooms, and an Autoclave Room, among other facilities. Integrating modern laboratory spaces, research training, and capacity-building programs will help meet the growing needs of SJB investigators and students. The expanded research infrastructure will boost the capabilities to obtain data to submit proposals to competitive external grant

opportunities and become partners in multi-institutional research grant projects. The project will also benefit researchers outside the Institution by providing a valuable hub in Caguas, Puerto Rico (easily accessible from all areas of the Island) for biomedical, clinical, and translational research. In addition, this facility will benefit local researchers in under-resourced communities

and serve a broad research community as we seek to advance research addressing health disparities among Hispanic populations. Therefore, the new SJB BioReC will significantly enhance the research capacity at the Institution and promote internal and external scientific collaborations.