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Transforming Science into Better
Health for All
The UAB Minority Health & Health Disparities Research Center (MHRC) generates and disseminates
research knowledge from biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences in order to reduce the health
disparities experienced by vulnerable populations and disadvantaged communities locally, regionally, and
nationally.
The Center was established in 2002, and since then has maintained its status as a University-Wide
Interdisciplinary Research Center, as well as a Center of Excellence (P60) funded by the National
Institutes of Health.
The MHRC supports three programs - Research, Training, and Outreach - that align with the University’s
broad strategic goals and make it an enabling platform for UAB’s research, teaching, and service
missions.
RESEARCH
TRAINING
OUTREACH
MHRC News
MHRC celebrates success in the 2015 Summer Enrichment
Program
Each summer, the UAB Minority Health & Health Disparities
Research Center hosts the Summer Enrichment Program, a summer training program for
undergraduate students interested in pursuing careers in healthcare. Read more ...
Southern-style eating strikes again
Southern-style eating strikes again: Study finds diet pattern increases heart disease risk
Southern favorites like fried chicken and bacon may taste great when
consumed, but they can have negative effects on heart health, according to UAB researchers.
Read more ...
Racial Bias in Health Care
Racial Bias in Health Care
and Health Challenges and Opportunities
David R. Williams, PhD, MPH,
Ronald Wyatt, MD MHA
This Viewpoint describes the contribution of racial bias to disparities in health care and discusses the
need to increase awareness of disparities and work toward eliminating discrimination and its adverse
effects.
Read more ...
UAB MHRC Young Professionals had a hot time at
Summer in the City
The sixties rock band Lovin’ Spoonful summed up the YP Board’s new
fundraiser with their song “Hot time, Summer in the City.”
Read more ...
Research on Disparities in African American Men’s Health
to Focus on Hypertension, Prostate Cancer, and Lifestyle
Modification
Funding for four new research projects was announced by the
Center for Healthy African American Men through Partnerships (CHAAMPS), the
groundbreaking research collaborative dedicated to the unique health issues of African American
men.
Read more ...
MHRC News Feed

UAB study on increasing participation of minorities in clinical trials hailed among best in cancer
research
Research on using patient navigation as a means to increase participation of minorities in clinical
trials is among this year’s top clinical cancer research advances.
Research led by
Mona Fouad, M.D., MPH, director of the UAB Division of Preventive Medicine, has been
selected by the American Society of Clinical Oncology for inclusion in Clinical Care Advances
2016, the Society’s annual review of progress against cancer and emerging trends in the field.
The study, titled “Patient navigation as a model to increase minority participation in cancer
clinical trials,” examines the use of patient navigators for informing and enrolling potentially
eligible African-American patients in clinical trials.
Developed under the guidance of an expert editorial board, Clinical Cancer Advances is an
independent annual review of the year’s major achievements in cancer and is published online
at www.CancerProgress.Net/CCA and in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
To be successful, cancer clinical trials require participation of individuals from all population
groups. Enrollment and retention are especially challenging among racial and ethnic minorities.
Currently, less than 10 percent of all trial participants are minorities.
“Patient navigation has been used to improve access to medical care, but it has not been
evaluated as a tool to increase participation of minorities in clinical trials,” said Fouad, who is
also director of the UAB Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center and a senior
leader at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.
For this study, lay individuals who are not medical professionals were hired and trained to serve
as patient navigators. African-American patients potentially eligible for clinical trials were
identified through chart reviews and referrals by clinic nurses, physicians and social workers.
The navigators met with the patients, informed them about current clinical trials, and provided
tailored support to those who decided to enroll in a trial.
Between 2007 and 2014, of 378 African-Americans who were eligible for a clinical trial, 304
enrolled in one and 272 opted to receive patient navigation support. Among trial participants
receiving navigation support, 75 percent completed the trial compared to 38 percent of trial
participants not receiving navigation support. The difference in retention rates between the two
groups was statistically significant, and participation of African-Americans in cancer clinical trials
increased from 9 percent to 16 percent.
“Although future studies need to evaluate clinical trial participation with other racial and ethnic
minorities, this model hold promise as a strategy to reduce disparities in cancer clinical trial
participation,” Fouad said.

Upcoming MHRC Health Disparities Research Symposium examines the science of health
disparities
Guest speaker and former Surgeon General Regina Benjamin among many who will see new
approaches and successful models of current health-disparities research.
Mona FouadThe UAB
Minority Health & Health Disparities Research Center (MHRC) will host the 2015 UAB Health
Disparities Research Symposium, “The Science of Health Disparities: From Social Causes to
Personalized Medicine,” March 17-18 in the DoubleTree by Hilton on 20th Street South in
Birmingham. In its 10th year, the symposium highlights work by undergraduate, graduate and
faculty researchers in the field of health disparities.
“The symposium showcases the work being done to reduce health inequities in Alabama and
our nation. It provides an overview of the latest in health-disparities research. Scientists and
scholars look to it as an excellent opportunity to share discoveries, new approaches and
successful models,” said Mona Fouad, M.D., MPH, director and professor, UAB Division of
Preventive Medicine, and director of the UAB MHRC.
Speaking at the dinner Tuesday, March 17, will be Regina Benjamin, M.D., MBA, the 18th
surgeon general and professor and endowed chair in the Xavier University of Louisiana
Department of Public Health Science.
The 2015 conference is co-sponsored by three national transdisciplinary collaborative centers
for health-disparities research: the Mid-South TCC, focused on the social determinants of health
and led by Fouad; the Center for Healthy African American Men through Partnerships
(CHAAMPS), led by Selwyn Vickers, M.D., dean of the UAB School of Medicine; and the Gulf
States Health Policy Center, led by Benjamin.
The symposium will feature seven plenary sessions:
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Social Conditions as a Fundamental Cause of Health Disparities – Bruce Link, Ph.D.,
professor of epidemiology and sociomedical sciences, Columbia University Mailman School
of Public Health
Challenges and Opportunities in Studying the Multilevel Determinants of Health – Ana Diez
Roux, M.D., Ph.D., dean and Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology, Drexel University
School of Public Health
Social Consequences of Genetic Explanations for Racial Differences in Health – Jo Phelan,
Ph.D., professor of sociomedical sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public
Health
Personalized Medicine: Implications for Disparities in Drug Response – Nita Limdi,
Pharm.D., Ph.D., professor UAB School of Medicine; director, UAB Personalized Medicine
Institute
African-American Men’s Health: Breaking the Silence – Mark Alexander, Ph.D., 100 Black
Men of America Inc.
Policy Solutions for Health Disparities – Brian Smedley, Ph.D., executive director, National
Collaborative for Health Equity
Academic-Community Partnerships – Barbara A. Israel, Ph.D., professor of health behavior
and health education, University of Michigan; and Zachary Rowe, executive director, Friends
of Parkside
In addition, UAB will announce the 2015 Excellence in Mentoring Awards and will present
awards for oral presentations and poster presentations.

UAB Cancer Center and ASU receive grant to address cancer health disparities
The UAB Cancer Center and Alabama State University receive $1.5 million NIH grant to create
partnership and reduce cancer health disparities.
Upender Manne, UAB's
lead principal investigator for the UAB Cancer Center/Alabama State University partnership,
discusses cancer disparities with a researcher at a poster presentation.The University of
Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center and Alabama State University have
received a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute that
establishes a partnership to create a critical mass of research and researchers to reduce cancer
health disparities in minorities.
The grant will allow both institutions to conduct cancer-related research and training in terms of
career development and education to aid underserved communities. The four-year project will be
guided by two distinguished scientists at each institution.
The grant, divided between the two institutions, is the culmination of a yearlong collaborative
effort on the part of Upender Manne, Ph.D., M.S., professor in the UAB Department of
Pathology, and Isabel Scarinci, Ph.D., MPH, professor in the UAB Division of Preventive
Medicine, and Manoj Mishra, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biological
Sciences, and Karyn Scissum-Gunn, Ph.D., professor of Microbiology and associate provost of
Academic Affairs at ASU.
The specific aims of the partnership are to enhance, by development and mentorship of junior
faculty members, the research and administrative infrastructure necessary to conduct
competitive basic and community-based cancer research at ASU; to develop investigators
committed to research in cancer disparities at both partnering institutions; and to establish a
pipeline of minority cancer disparity researchers and health professionals between ASU and
UAB.
In the South, cancer health disparities are attributed to a variety of factors, including lifestyle,
culture, environment, health care access, socioeconomics and population-specific genetic
differences. Although community-based participatory research has gained national attention, the
number of minority investigators to do this type of research is low. It has become increasingly
important to build up the skilled manpower to conduct cancer disparities research that will aid in
creating personalized cancer therapies for this segment of the population.
“The idea is that, in view of the unequal
burden of cancer borne by AfricanAmericans, the locations of ASU and the
UAB Cancer Center place this partnership
in an ideal geographic region to address
cancer health disparities within the state of
Alabama by developing a pipeline of
students, scientists and health care
professionals from minority and medically
underserved populations,” said Manne, lead
principal investigator on the grant and a
senior scientist at the UAB Comprehensive
Cancer Center. “Both institutions possess
unique strengths that supplement each
other.”
“The idea is that, in view of the unequal
burden of cancer borne by AfricanAmericans, the locations of ASU and the
UAB Cancer Center place this partnership in
an ideal geographic region to address
cancer health disparities within the state of
Alabama by developing a pipeline of
students, scientists and health care
professionals from minority and medically
underserved populations. Both institutions
possess unique strengths that supplement
each other.”
At ASU, which is classified as a historically black college or university, more than 90 percent of
the students and more than 60 percent of the faculty belong to a minority community in which
health disparities are a significant issue in various areas, including cancer.
“ASU is the ideal place for students and faculty to be invested in cancer disparities research,”
Manne said.
“This NIH/NCI grant will address relevant issues with a persistent, multifaceted strategy by
combining multidisciplinary cancer research projects to unravel the basis for cancer disparities,”
said Mishra, the lead principal investigator at ASU. “This grant will allow us to jump-start our
cancer research and education programs for our faculty and students at ASU.”
Basic research efforts will focus on prostate and colorectal cancers, which affect a
disproportionate number of minority individuals.
The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center has a long history of addressing cancer health
disparities and has an extensive infrastructure in place that is needed for a sustained research
program.
Manne is also the UAB lead principal investigator of another NIH/NCI-funded partnership that
was established among the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Morehouse School of
Medicine and Tuskegee University, which has provided an ideal infrastructure to build the
current UAB Cancer Center/ASU partnership. The UAB–Morehouse–Tuskegee partnership has
contributed substantially to reducing the gaps in cancer incidence and morbidity and mortality
between Caucasians and African-Americans, and it has enhanced the capabilities of the three
institutions to conduct cancer research that is directly applicable to minority populations.
Investigators in that partnership have published more than 100 manuscripts relating to health
disparities.
In addition,the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Deep South Network for Cancer Control is
nationally recognized as a leader in community outreach for its work in increasing education and
awareness of cancer in minority and underserved populations.
“This grant builds upon and extends the goals and commitment of UAB and the Cancer Center
to reduce cancer and health disparities,” said Edward Partridge, M.D., director of the UAB
Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Furthermore, it strengthens efforts to advance cancer research,
training and education for researchers at both UAB and ASU.”
Students and others interested in cancer health disparities research may visit the
Morehouse/Tuskegee/UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center Partnership or the UAB Minority
Health and Health Disparities Research Center websites.

Nearly $3 million awarded to battle health disparities
The “Birmingham REACH for Better Health” partnership aims to increase the number of people
with access to healthy food and physical activity opportunities.
The University of Alabama at
Birmingham Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center won a competitive grant of
nearly $3 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce the gap in
chronic diseases between blacks and whites in Birmingham by improving nutrition and physical
activity in underserved African-American communities.
The award is part of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initiative to support public
health efforts to reduce chronic diseases, promote healthier lifestyles, reduce health disparities
and control health care spending.
The project, “Birmingham REACH for Better Health,” is a partnership between UAB, the
Jefferson County Department of Health, United Way of Central Alabama, Freshwater Land
Trust, Birmingham YMCA, REV Birmingham, Safe Routes to School and the City of Birmingham.
The project will last three years and reach more than 116,000 people.
“Substandard nutrition and lack of physical activity are key factors driving the disparities in
chronic disease between blacks and whites,” said Mona Fouad, the principal investigator of this
new initiative and the director of the UAB MHRC and the UAB Division of Preventive Medicine.
“One of the most efficient ways to improve population health and cut down health care costs is to
ensure access to healthy food and physical activity. This, however, cannot be done effectively by
a single individual or by a single organization. Collaboration is key for bringing about a change in
policies, systems and environments that impact health.”
Birmingham neighborhoods where at least 65 percent of the residents are African-American will
be the main targets. Activities will be focused on improving nutrition and physical activity, which
are risk factors for a number of chronic diseases.
“Birmingham REACH for Better Health” aims to increase the number of people with access to
healthy food and beverages from 22,000 currently to 100,000 by the end of 2017. The project
will expand programs that deliver fresh food from local agriculture to restaurants, large retailers,
corner stores, child care centers and schools.
Also by the end of 2017, the initiative plans to increase the number of people with access to
physical activity opportunities from 51,000 to 110,000. The project will expand the Safe Routes
to School program, increase the number of streets with sidewalks, bike lanes or share-the-road
signage, and boost the use of neighborhood trails and community parks.
The eight partnering organizations in the project will work closely with one another to capitalize
on strengths, leverage resources, ensure sustainability and ultimately reduce the burden of
chronic diseases in Birmingham’s neighborhoods.
To learn more about “Birmingham REACH for Better Health,” please contact Theresa WynnWallace, Ph.D., at 205-934-6892 or twynn@uabmc.edu.

Isabel Scarinci to help expand global outreach for cancer in new role
Isabel Scarinci, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor in UAB Division of Preventive Medicine, has been
appointed to the newly created position of associate director of globalization and cancer in the
UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Isabel Scarinci, Ph.D., M.P.H.,
professor in the UAB Division of Preventive Medicine, has been appointed associate director for
globalization and cancer at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The National Cancer Institute has created a new Center for Global Health, and other agencies
such as the American Cancer Society have also begun to address the increasing burden of
cancer worldwide. As a longstanding NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center, one of only
41 in the nation and the only one in the six-state Deep South region, UAB has many cancer
research projects and other activities on the global front.
“In an effort to be more proactive in our globalization efforts, we have created this new position
to expand our global footprint,” said Edward Partridge, M.D., director of the UAB Comprehensive
Cancer Center. “Our longstanding work in underresourced populations prepares us for this
mission, and what we learn in other countries may well apply to our population also.”
Scarinci is an associate scientist at the UAB
Minority Health and Research Center,
Comprehensive Cancer Center, John J.
Sparkman Center for International Public Health
Education, Center for Outcomes and
Effectiveness Research and Education, and the Center for Health Promotion. She has extensive
experience in global research, currently with two funded projects in Brazil. She was most
recently appointed honorary consul for Brazil and confirmed by the U.S. Department of State.
“In an effort to be more proactive in our
globalization efforts, we have created this
new position to expand our global footprint.”
Scarinci’s primary areas of interest are cancer prevention among low-income, minority Latinas
and African-Americans, and immigrant women; socioeconomic status and health outcomes; and
depression.
“She is a true leader in community-based participatory research both at home and abroad and
will bring extensive experience and vision to this senior leadership position and global initiative,”
said Partridge.
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