WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressman Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.) today announced $736,425 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funding for cardiovascular diseases and cancer research programs at the University of Maryland Baltimore.
The funding was made available through the National Institutes of Health grant programs. The federal funds will be used to research the underlying causes of cancer, heart and vascular diseases in underrepresented groups and implement disease prevention programs.
“Research and data have shown that marginalized communities are disproportionately impacted by some heart diseases and cancers,” said the lawmakers. “Greater federal investment in the University of Maryland Baltimore, one of our premier public health institutions, will help further advancements in disease treatment and prevention, reduce health disparities and improve health care across the state.”
The federal grants have been awarded to the following projects:
- $388,800 for Catalyzing Cancer Research among Urban Underrepresented Minority Youths and Teachers (CATALYST) to implement an immersive cancer-focused program for Middle School scholars, their families, teachers, and communities in West Baltimore.
- $193,125 for Elucidating the Ancestry-specific Genetic and Environmental Architecture of Cardiometabolic Traits across ethnic groups to better understand how genetic, environmental, and social differences impact disease and help address health disparities in underrepresented groups.
- $154,500 for Leveraging Pleiotropy to Develop Polygenic Risk Scores for Cardiometabolic Diseases to further research on how genetics influences cardiovascular diseases in minority communities.
The National Institutes of Health is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, investing more than $32 billion a year to enhance life, and reduce illness and disabilities.
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