The research centers in minority institutions (RCMI) consortium: A blueprint for inclusive excellence

Elizabeth O. Ofili, Daniel Sarpong, Richard Yanagihara, Paul B. Tchounwou, Emma Fernández-Repollet, Mohamad Malouhi, Muhammed Y. Idris, Kimberly Lawson, Nadine H. Spring, Brian M. Rivers

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Research Centers in Minority Institutions, (RCMI) Program was established by Congress to address the health research and training needs of minority populations, by preparing future generations of scientists at these institutions, with a track record of producing minority scholars in medicine, science, and technology. The RCMI Consortium consists of the RCMI Spe-cialized Centers and a Coordinating Center (CC). The RCMI-CC leverages the scientific expertise, technologies, and innovations of RCMI Centers to accelerate the delivery of solutions to address health disparities in communities that are most impacted. There is increasing recognition that the gap in representation of racial/ethnic groups and women is perpetuated by institutional cultures lacking inclusion and equity. The objective of this work is to provide a framework for inclusive excellence by developing a systematic evaluation process with common data elements that can track the inter-linked goals of workforce diversity and health equity. At its core, the RCMI Program embodies the trinity of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We propose a realist evaluation framework and a logic model that integrates the institutional context to develop common data metrics for inclusive excellence. The RCMI-CC will collaborate with NIH-funded institutions and research consortia to disseminate and scale this model.

Original languageEnglish
Article number6848
JournalInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume18
Issue number13
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jul 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Health equity
  • Inclusive excellence
  • RCMI
  • Realist evaluation
  • Workforce diversity

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The research centers in minority institutions (RCMI) consortium: A blueprint for inclusive excellence'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this