Building infrastructure for HIV/AIDS and mental health research at institutions serving minorities

The National Institutes of Health and other funding agencies have initiated various programs aimed at enhancing diversity in the workforces for health care delivery and biomedical research. These programs have resulted in improvements in research infrastructure and moderate successes in increasing, retaining, and strengthening the pool of underrepresented minority students and junior faculty at resource-poor institutions serving minorities. We discuss some of the barriers and obstacles confronting such institutions, and the enablers and facilitators that may ameliorate or overcome such barriers. Although our analysis is drawn from lessons learned at an institution serving a largely Asian and Pacific Islander population, analogous situations may be found for other institutions serving minorities.