Welcome!
The HHRC is a research center
established at the Brownsville Regional Campus of the University
of Texas School of Public Health in 2003 with a five year, NIH
'Export' grant from the National
Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities Grant Number:
5 P20 MD000170. This grant has now been renewed for a further
five years to 2013. The purpose is to conduct research into strata
of diseases prevalent in Hispanic populations. The original grant
had several cores: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, community
outreach and statistical support. The continuing program under
the renewal of the funding now has three research cores focusing
on obesity and diabetes research and prevention,
particularly the impact on mental health and infectious
diseases, both understudied sequelae of these chronic
conditions. Training, outreach and administration cores complete
the package. The renewal of this program grant creates The
Center of Excellence for Diabetes in Americans of Mexican Descent.
Since its inception the HHRC has been dynamic and in constant
development. This has allowed us to determine and focus on the
health issues of greatest importance. Prominent developments include
establishments of the first purely Mexican American cohort for
studies of health disparities, (The Cameron County Hispanic
Cohort (CCHC)) now numbering 1800 extensively documented
individuals), a Clinical Research Unit funded under a Clinical
and Translational Research Award (1U54RR023417-01) focused on
translational research and vaccine studies in a minority population,
and a major international tuberculosis program
now conducting prospective studies enrolling patients both sides
of the US/Mexico border and in Colombia and Bangladesh, also funded
by NIH. Important advances of HHRC studies include understanding
that this Mexican American population has the highest rates of
diabetes in the United States, and the alarming observation that
diabetes itself is the major risk factor for the high rates of
tuberculosis seen both sides of the border. These observations
are stimulating new research focused on the development of diabetes
and the consequences of impairment of immune function associated
with both obesity and diabetes. Please explore the links in our
side bar for details.
Joseph B. McCormick, MD
Regional Dean and James Steele Professor
University of Texas School of Public
Health
Brownsville Regional Campus
