Age-Related Differences in Anxiety and Depression Diagnosis among Adults in Puerto Rico during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Residents of Puerto Rico bear a significant burden of mental health disorders, which the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated. However, age-specific data on these disorders during the pandemic in Puerto Rico are scarce. This study evaluated age-related differences in the self-reported diagnosis of depression and anxiety among adults ≥18 years residing in Puerto Rico during the pandemic.

Lessons Learned: Community Engagement in Emergencies in Puerto Rico.

Objective: To describe the importance of community engagement from research projects and research centers in times of disasters or emergencies, using the case of Puerto Rico in recent years (2017 - 2022) as an example.

Methods: First, research participants and stakeholders from local community and health organizations were contacted via email and phone calls after each emergency to assess their immediate needs. Second, needs were classified in categories (materials, educational resources, service referrals, and collaborations).

Healthcare and Social Organizations' Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Experience: Lessons Learned From Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Background: Healthcare and social organizations (HSOs) are first respondents after natural disasters. Hence, their preparedness and resilience are critical components for addressing future disasters. However, little is known about HSOs' experiences prior to, during, and after hurricanes.

Evaluation of AIML + HDR-A Course to Enhance Data Science Workforce Capacity for Hispanic Biomedical Researchers.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) facilitate the creation of revolutionary medical techniques. Unfortunately, biases in current AI and ML approaches are perpetuating minority health inequity. One of the strategies to solve this problem is training a diverse workforce.

Research Infrastructure Core Facilities at Research Centers in Minority Institutions: Part I-Research Resources Management, Operation, and Best Practices.

Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Program fosters the development and implementation of innovative research aimed at improving minority health and reducing or eliminating health disparities. Currently, there are 21 RCMI Specialized (U54) Centers that share the same framework, comprising four required core components, namely the Administrative, Research Infrastructure, Investigator Development, and Community Engagement Cores. The Research Infrastructure Core (RIC) is fundamentally important for biomedical and health disparities research as a critical function domain.

Religiosity and Beliefs toward COVID-19 Vaccination among Adults in Puerto Rico.

Religiosity may influence COVID-19 vaccination. However, it remains unclear how religiosity is associated with beliefs toward COVID-19 and vaccination against it, particularly amongst ethnic minorities. This study examined the association between religiosity, vaccination intent, beliefs, and attitudes related to COVID-19 and vaccination among adults in Puerto Rico.

Influence of Health Beliefs on COVID-19 Vaccination among Individuals with Cancer and Other Comorbidities in Puerto Rico.

Ethnic minority populations are more likely to suffer from chronic comorbidities, making them more susceptible to the poor health outcomes associated with COVID-19 infection. Therefore, ensuring COVID-19 vaccination among vulnerable populations is of utmost importance. We aimed to investigate health behaviors and perceptions of COVID-19 vaccination among adults self-reporting diagnosis of cancer and of other chronic comorbidities in Puerto Rico (PR).

Uncertainty and unwillingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in adults residing in Puerto Rico: Assessment of perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors.

: Widespread vaccination against COVID-19 is essential to control the pandemic. Estimates of unwillingness and uncertainty toward COVID-19 vaccination and factors associated with it remain unclear among adults in Puerto Rico (PR).: To examine factors associated with uncertainty and unwillingness of COVID-19 vaccination among adults in PR.

The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Consortium: A Blueprint for Inclusive Excellence.

The Research Centers in Minority Institutions, (RCMI) Program was established by Congress to address the health research and training needs of minority populations, by preparing future generations of scientists at these institutions, with a track record of producing minority scholars in medicine, science, and technology. The RCMI Consortium consists of the RCMI Specialized Centers and a Coordinating Center (CC). The RCMI-CC leverages the scientific expertise, technologies, and innovations of RCMI Centers to accelerate the delivery of solutions to address health disparities in communities that are most impacted.

Strengthening and Sustaining Inter-Institutional Research Collaborations and Partnerships.

Inter-institutional collaborations and partnerships play fundamental roles in developing and diversifying the basic biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research enterprise at resource-limited, minority-serving institutions. In conjunction with the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Program National Conference in Bethesda, Maryland, in December 2019, a special workshop was convened to summarize current practices and to explore future strategies to strengthen and sustain inter-institutional collaborations and partnerships with research-intensive majority-serving institutions. Representative examples of current inter-institutional collaborations at RCMI grantee institutions are presented.

The Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC) Cardiovascular Implementation Study (CVIS): A Research Registry Integrating Social Determinants to Support Care for Underserved Patients.

African Americans, other minorities and underserved populations are consistently under- represented in clinical trials. Such underrepresentation results in a gap in the evidence base, and health disparities. The ABC Cardiovascular Implementation Study (CVIS) is a comprehensive prospective cohort registry that integrates social determinants of health.

The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Translational Research Network: Building and Sustaining Capacity for Multi-Site Basic Biomedical, Clinical and Behavioral Research.

The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program was established by the US Congress to support the development of biomedical research infrastructure at minority-serving institutions granting doctoral degrees in the health professions or in a health-related science. RCMI institutions also conduct research on diseases that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities (ie, African Americans/Blacks, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Hispanics, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders), those of low socioeconomic status, and rural persons. Quantitative metrics, including the numbers of doctoral science degrees granted to underrepresented students, NIH peer-reviewed research funding, peer-reviewed publications, and numbers of racial and ethnic minorities participating in sponsored research, demonstrate that RCMI grantee institutions have made substantial progress toward the intent of the Congressional legislation, as well as the NIH/NIMHD-linked goals of addressing workforce diversity and health disparities.

Effects of summer internship and follow-up distance mentoring programs on middle and high school student perceptions and interest in health careers.

Background: Minorities are underrepresented in health professions and efforts to recruit minority students into health careers are considered a way to reduce health disparities. There is little research about the effectiveness of these programs, other than satisfaction. This study aimed to measure program effects on student understanding of and interest in health careers.

Assessing a Science Graduate School Recruitment Symposium.

Ciencia Puerto Rico, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting science, research and scientific education among Latinos, organized an educational symposium to provide college science majors the tools, opportunities and advice to pursue graduate degrees and succeed in the STEM disciplines. In this article we share our experiences and lessons learned, for others interested in developing large-scale events to recruit underrepresented minorities to STEM and in evaluating the effectiveness of these efforts.