At the National Institutes of Health, the premiere biomedical research institution in the United States, the struggle against human disease takes on particular significance when we consider the disproportionate impact these diseases have on the country's minority communities. Through 2003, African Americans and Hispanics accounted for 40% and 19%, respectively, of AIDS-related deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.1 That year, African Americans and Hispanic Americans accounted for almost two-thirds of all individuals diagnosed with HIV in 2003. And these types of disparities may only increase as the United States sees a major shift in demographics from minorities to majorities in the coming decades.
Accordingly, it has become increasingly clear to a growing body of scientists and policymakers that building a diverse pool of scientists and clinical investigators is mission critical in our efforts to reduce health disparities. African Americans, however, are hardly represented at all among ...
