UTRGV awarded $18.4M NIH grant to combat cancer health disparities in underserved Hispanic communities

Photo above: Dr. Subhash Chauhan, principal investigator for the NIH RCMI award and a professor at the UTRGV School of Medicine, will lead the Rio Grande Valley Center for Cancer Health Disparity. (UTRGV Photo by Jesús Alférez)

By María González, UTRGV Communications

Edinburg, TX –UTRGV will hold a press conference on Thursday, Oct. 3, to announce a new $18.4 million award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The award will fund the establishment of the Rio Grande Valley Center for Cancer Health Disparity, focused on addressing significant health disparities in underserved Hispanic communities.

U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) will deliver remarks at the press conference.

There also will be opportunities to interview UTRGV leadership, as well as photo and video access.

The Rio Grande Valley is a hotspot for cancers that includes cervical, liver and gallbladder cancers. The RCMI award will enhance biomedical research infrastructure at UTRGV, helping reduce cancer health disparities in the region and providing new opportunities for research, education and community outreach.

Dr. Subhash Chauhan, principal investigator for the project, said the NHF grant for UTRGV is historical and monumental and will help advance cancer prevention and treatment in the area.

“Our goal is to improve health outcomes and reduce cancer-related health disparities for some of the nation’s most underserved communities,” he said. “By establishing the Rio Grande Valley Center for Cancer Health Disparity, we are creating a vital biomedical research infrastructure that will serve our region. It also will provide crucial insights for NIH and the broader public on cancer disparities that affect the Hispanic population.”