Minority-Serving Institution Disability and Rehabilitation/Health Research Capacity-Building and Infrastructure...

The purpose of this 8-year longitudinal study was to evaluate the institutional research capacity building and infrastructure model (IRCBIM), an innovative and integrated approach designed to build, strengthen, and sustain adequate disability and rehabilitation/health research capacity (i.e., research infrastructure and research skills) at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) in the United States (U.S.). A mixed methods design was used to assess IRCBIM based on the perspectives of three different study cohorts (i.e., MSI-based faculty members, staff/administrators, and students) across five different research-active institutions (RAIs). An online survey and semi-structured face-to-face and telephone interviews were used to collect data at multiple time points. The results show that participants perceived IRCBIM as effective in strengthening research capacity, catalyzing scientific productivity, and contributing to the diversification and broadening of the biomedical, behavioral, and social science in disability and rehabilitation/health research workforce. Advantages and challenges of implementing the model at these institutions are discussed. The successful implementation of the model at MSIs/RAIs represents a paradigm shift that demands the federal agency science and innovation ecosystem (i.e., National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research [NIDILRR], National Institutes of Health [NIH], and National Science Foundation [NSF]) become more inclusive and promotes a clearer connection between MSIs and the advancement of disability and rehabilitation science.