Project Summary
The establishment of a Diversity Center for Genomic Research at Tuskegee University is driven
by a comprehensive objective: to advance, support and maintain research, education, and
workforce capacity in the rapidly expanding field of genomics. The Carver Genomic Research
Center (CGRC) aims to enhance research, education, and workforce capacity in the field of
genomics, specifically focusing on building the next generation of genomic health scientists and
workforce in rural Alabama. The center's vision includes innovation and catalyzing the following;
1) A robust genomic educational and research program dedicated to educating, sustaining, and
nurturing the next generation of the genomic science workforce, fostering diversity contributions
to the university’s mission, 2) the advancement of genomic scientific enquiries through expanding
the infrastructure and facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration for genomic research, 3) the
professional development of a faculty engaged in genomic research, and 4) community-based
activities and research that promote awareness and active participation of the local community
in genomic research. This initiative will be carried out in two phases, Phase 1 and Phase II. Phase
I initiative is the planning phase aiming at the development of 1) Genomic infrastructure; 2)
Community Engagement and Outreach; 3) Partnership and Collaboration; and 4) establishing an
oversight and governance structure. The Phase II will be the implementation phase focused on
implementation of the full-scale diversity center consisting of three cores; 1) Administrative; 2)
Genomic Workforce Development and3) Community Engagement. The goal of the CGRC will be
accomplished through establishment of three synergistic research cores, with services to enable
investigative research on health inequities among minority groups, especially African-Americans
residing in the ‘Black Belt’ counties of Alabama. The three proposed research projects have
research objectives focused on diseases related to health disparity and involve cutting-edge
research activities in genomics, contributing to scientific advancements and discoveries in the
field. Tuskegee University has distinctive strengths because it is located in the heart of the
Southeast, a region with a large, historically underserved, African American population, and it has
a large number of minority faculty members as well as undergraduate and graduate trainees.
