NIH to Study Genomics, Health Disparities

The U.S. National Institutes of Health announced the creation of the Intramural Center for Genomics and Health Disparities.

The center will be a new venue for research about the way populations are impacted by diseases, including obesity, diabetes and hypertension. The NIH said the center will employ a genomics approach, collecting and analyzing genetic, clinical, lifestyle and socio-economic data to study a range of clinical conditions that have puzzled and troubled public health experts for decades.

The new facility will be directed by genetic epidemiologist Charles Rotimi, former director of the National Human Genome Center at Howard University.

This new center will be an NIH resource to help move research related to the complex factors underlying health disparities into the 21st century, said NIH Director Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni. Synergy among the center’s genetic and genomic researchers and disease experts in existing NIH research programs will advance our understanding of health disparities for the benefit of minority groups and all Americans.

The Intramural Center for Genomics and Health Disparities will be located on NIH’s Bethesda, Md., campus.