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Institutions will receive awards to support faculty and staff use of the All of Us Researcher Workbench, the cloud-based platform where researchers can access the All of Us dataset
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — RTI International, a nonprofit research institute, has selected six Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to serve as the second cohort of Institutional Champions for the All of Us Researcher Academy. As part of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) All of Us Research Program, the academy provides capacity building, training, technical assistance and peer-to-peer learning for health researchers using the All of Us Researcher Workbench.
The second group includes Fayetteville State University, Fisk University, Jackson State University, Meharry Medical College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Shaw University. Additionally, researchers from Coahoma Community College will participate in Academy activities as a part of the Jackson State University award.
Awards totaling $450,000 will be dispersed to support faculty and staff use of the All of Us Researcher Workbench, the cloud-based platform where researchers can access the All of Us dataset. Each institution will support researchers for a year and can welcome visiting students and faculty from other HBCUs to participate in activities that increase capacity to analyze the All of Us dataset.
“We are excited to welcome the second group of Institutional Champions to the All of Us Researcher Academy,” said Dr. Sula Hood, who co-leads the academy with Dr. Brian Southwell. “The training, technical assistance and peer-to-peer learning offered through the academy will ensure that researchers at HBCUs are included in the scientific community and specifically biomedical research.”
“The All of Us Research Program is committed to supporting early-career researchers, especially those from groups historically underrepresented in the biomedical workforce, through several partnerships,” said All of Us Chief Engagement Officer Karriem Watson, D.H.Sc., M.S., M.P.H. “The Researcher Academy is helping to expand the number of researchers from HBCUs who can use the Researcher Workbench to conduct precision medicine research.”
In 2020, RTI received a five-year award from NIH to participate in a national consortium of organizations supporting the NIH’s All of Us Research Program. The mission of All of Us is to accelerate health research and medical breakthroughs, enabling individualized prevention, treatment, and care for all. To make this possible, All of Us is building one of the largest, most diverse health databases of its kind, engaging at least one million participants who reflect the diversity of the U.S., particularly from communities historically underrepresented in biomedical research. Data gathered from participants will help drive innovation in health care and help scientists understand how genes, health practices and environmental exposures can impact health and illness.
RTI International leads the All of Us Researcher Academy in collaboration with the All of Us Research Program’s Division of Engagement and Outreach. The division partners with community organizations nationwide to foster relationships with participants, researchers, and health care providers. The academy and other researcher engagement activities are central to building a diverse community of researchers. There are now more than 6,000 All of Us researchers from all career stages, institution types, backgrounds, and experiences.
RTI’s partner in developing this stage of the All of Us Researcher Academy is Community-Campus Partnerships for Health.
In 2022, RTI announced the initial cohort of Institutional Champions: Howard University, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Southern University at New Orleans, and Tuskegee University.
The All of Us Researcher Academy is supported by the Division of Engagement and Outreach, All of Us Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Award Number 1OT20D028395-01.
All of Us and the All of Us logo are registered service marks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
