North Carolina Central University (NCCU) will work with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a project to help minority students develop careers in the field of human nutrition and obesity research.
The UNC Nutrition Obesity Research Center recently received support from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to work toward diversifying the pool of researchers in nutrition and obesity. NCCU Researcher K. Sean Kimbro, Ph.D., will be partnering with UNC’s Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) on the project.
“This collaboration reflects an ongoing effort to combat obesity and better understand the nutritional needs of underserved populations with cultural sensitivity while broadening the diversity of research teams,” Kimbro said.
The grant from the Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease Institute will cover costs for an early career researcher from NCCU to conduct research as a senior postdoctoral fellow or junior faculty member with access to the UNC NORC resources, including educational workshops and administrative support. The collaboration will also provide opportunities for minority researchers to network with scientists on other campuses.
The goal is to create an ongoing support system for investigators from underrepresented minority populations to be able to advance nutrition and obesity research, UNC officials said.
“We at the UNC NORC are very excited about this collaboration with our partners at NCCU,” said NORC Co-Director Elizabeth Mayer-Davis, Ph.D, Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Nutrition at the Gillings School of Global Public Health. “Together, we will work to advance our shared goal of promoting nutrition and obesity research.”
