Biomedical Research at San Francisco State University

San Francisco State University, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): San Francisco State University (SFSU) has positioned itself to become one of the most research-active minority undergraduate institutions in the United States. A key component in realizing its mission of excellence in education is the implementation of a well-developed plan to increase biomedical research opportunities for faculty and students from all backgrounds. SFSU's mission emphasizes programs such as RIMI, MBRS and MARC, which enable its diverse student population to gain the skills, and experiences they need to contribute successfully to the Nation's research enterprise. Outcomes from our current RIMI program include the publication of nearly 100 research articles with 55 student coauthors, 158 students entering highly competitive PhD programs, and the doubling of the overall research funds from $22 to $44 million/year. The RIMI program provides a mechanism to broaden SFSU's goals and accelerate the implementation of the university's plan to provide an environment and the necessary resources to achieve its research goals. A major aim of the program is to increase the research activity of our faculty through strong collaborative relationships with three premier research-intensive universities - the University of California at Berkeley, Davis and San Francisco. As a direct result of partnerships created during our initial RIMI program, ten additional cross-institutional collaborations have been forged among faculty and administrators, attracting more than $8 million in extramural funding to SFSU. A major aim of many of these research partnerships is a mutual focus on minority health disparities A second major aim is to provide the infrastructure necessary for SFSU faculty to become more competitive in biomedical research. Two Areas of Emphasis (Shared Research Facilities and New Faculty Support) address this aim in our proposed renewal program. We intend to develop two new research facilities (Cell and Molecular imaging and Protein Chemistry) which, facilitated by a major commitment of matching SFSU funds, will provide students and faculty with the resources and training necessary to develop productive careers in biomedical research. SFSU has been highly successful at hiring talented new faculty from populations traditionally underrepresented in the sciences, and the New RIMI Faculty activity is designed to further enhance our progress in this area, with this activity being institutionalized in Years 4 and 5 of the renewal. [unreadable] [unreadable]