Centers and Institutes - Academic Health Center - University of Minnesota
Last year the Masonic Cancer Center drew nearly $120 million in nationally peer reviewed funding.
Within our 90 centers and institutes, experts across the health science disciplines share their expertise to discover treatments, therapies, and cures for some of today’s most devastating and complex diseases.
From equine health to translational medicine, our centers and institutes tackle a wide range or issues and health challenges.
In the Center for Health Equity, researchers partner with community leaders to investigate barriers to minority enrollment in advanced clinical trials. Right now, researcher Janet Thomas, Ph.D., is looking at smoking cessation solutions for African American households, which will dramatically improve the health of minority children.
New positions can also dramatically improve outcomes. Masonic Cancer Center patient navigator Hibo Guled works exclusively with minorities in clinical trials, deconstructing barriers and matching patients to ideal treatment options.
Not only do our centers and institutes impact the health of our communities, they secure new grants and federal funding that help create jobs for our state.
They also give researchers the tools and resources they need to be successful. In 2010, the Masonic Cancer Center alone drew nearly $120 million in nationally peer reviewed funding. This allowed researchers to hire new lab assistants and support staff to continue searching for a cure to many forms of cancer.
The Center for Magnetic Resonance Research was recently awarded a multi-million-dollar NIH grant to co-lead the Human Connectome Project. The effort, which involves collaborators from 33 institutions worldwide, aims to map every connection of the human brain.
Alongside our faculty, the Academic Health Center’s centers and institutes also have a profound impact on our health sciences students.
Multidisciplinary research and a collaborative learning environment allow our students to learn in new ways. Through interdisciplinary programs, our students become well-rounded, and learn to take a team approach toward both research and patient care. By the time they graduate, Academic Health Center students are equipped for a changing health care environment and ready to work with other professionals to meet the health care needs of our state.
