Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, in collaboration with Xavier University of Louisiana, successfully renewed its grant for the Minority Health International Research Training (MHIRT) Program. The MHIRT program is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through a competitive process, and is designed to provide international health or medicine-related research opportunities for students from under-represented minority groups in the field of international biomedical and public health research, and have high rates of health problems that may not receive adequate attention in the current research environment.

The Tulane/Xavier collaboration builds on the strengths and traditions of both institutions – the investigative capacity of the Tulane’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine as a leader in international public health and tropical disease research, and the tradition of Xavier University as a leader in advanced scientific education for minority students from health disparities groups. 

The collaborative MHIRT program has been successful despite obstacles that resulted from Hurricane Katrina, which impacted both universities. The Tulane/Xavier program was originally established in 2005. The renewal will fund the program for an additional five years.

Seven overseas sites provide training in research areas relevant to health disparities populations in the United States, including cardiovascular diseases; tuberculosis; perinatal, maternal and infant mortality; and refugee health. 

Each year, Tulane and Xavier program directors and research mentors select eight to ten students from both universities, including both undergraduates and graduate or medical students, to participate in overseas research experiences. The overseas sites are linked to ongoing collaborative research projects lead by participating Tulane faculty mentors. 

Participants receive intensive training in research methodology, ethics, and protocol design prior to travel, and the project provides pre-travel medical services and basic language training.  Trainees work under the joint tutelage of US and foreign faculty mentors, and their research findings are organized for oral and written presentation upon their return to the U.S. 

To learn more about the Tulane/Xavier MHIRT program, please visit www.sph.tulane.edu/CEBGH/MHIRT.