In 1997, the National Institute on Aging/National Institutes of Health established the Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) initiative as part of the effort to reduce health disparities between minority and non-minority older adults. The RCMAR mission is to decrease these disparities by:

• Increasing the number of researchers who focus on the health of minority elders.



• Enhancing the diversity in the professional workforce by mentoring minority academic researchers for careers in minority elders health research.



• Improving recruitment and retention methods used to enlist minority elders in studies so that research can accurately identify and work toward solutions to health disparities.



• Creating culturally sensitive health measures that assess the health status of minority elders with greater precision, and increase the effectiveness of interventions designed to improve their health and well-being.

A central coordinating center provides logistical support to the RCMAR centers, facilitates communication and collaboration, and oversees dissemination activities designed to reach the larger research and health professional communities, public policy makers, and consumers. The coordinating center is also the national clearinghouse for measurement tools, instruments, publications, community activity, pilot research, and other resources developed by RCMAR investigators.