1 of only 2 Centers of Excellence to receive funding by HHS
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University a three-year, $2.1 million grant to expand and enrich its Hispanic Center of Excellence (HCOE).
Einstein's HCOE, the only center of its kind in New York State, provides leadership and training in research to Hispanic students and faculty, and education relating to Hispanic health issues, disparities in health, and other health care concerns of the Hispanic community.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are more than 45 million Hispanics living in the U.S., comprising 15.1% of the U.S. population. "Although Hispanics are now the largest minority group in the country, they are underrepresented in the health professions," says program director Alvin H. Strelnick, M.D., professor of family and social medicine at Einstein. "This grant will help us redress this imbalance and improve health care delivery in chronically underserved Hispanic communities."
"This grant is an example of the leadership role that Hal Strelnick, Nilda Soto, assistant dean for the Office of Diversity Enhancement at Einstein, and other faculty have played in helping our institution provide outstanding health profession training to Hispanics and other underrepresented minorities," said Allen M. Spiegel, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean. "This award and the prior NIH award for the Study of Latino Health reflect Einstein's commitment to and excellence in addressing health disparities in both our educational and research missions."
On September 11, HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced awards totaling $33 million to expand the training of health professionals. The funds are part of $500 million allotted to HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to address workforce shortages under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). More than 300 grants were awarded in this round of funding. Einstein's grant was the second-largest overall and one of only four to exceed $1 million. Only two centers of excellence received ARRA funding.
Einstein's HCOE, which was founded in 2001, will use the funds to: