Oct 23, 2014 02:02 PM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Xavier University of Louisiana received a $19.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue to diversify and expand biomedical programs.

The catholic university will use the grant to expand already thriving biomedical programs the historically black university offers its students. The award is part of NIH's national Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative.

"Xavier is already number one in the nation as the primary undergraduate source of African American Ph.D.s in the life sciences," Dr. Norman Francis, president of Xavier University, said in a statement. "Yet, with this grant, we believe we can triple the number of these graduates and increase the number of African American life science Ph.D.s nationally by 10 percent. We are proud that NIH has named us one of the institutions that it believes can uniquely contribute to this important goal."

The grant is a part of a $240 million NIH investment involving more than 10 institutions to develop new approaches to engage student researchers, including those from underrepresented backgrounds, and prepare them to thrive in the NIH-funded workforce. Xavier and fellow awardees will establish a national consortium to train, mentor and encourage students from underrepresented groups to enter into and stay in research careers.

"These awards represent a significant step towards ensuring that NIH's future biomedical research workforce will reflect the unique perspectives found within the diverse composition of our society," Dr. Hannah Valantine, NIH chief officer for scientific workforce diversity, said in a statement.

Xavier will serve as the primary institution for its grant, "Project PATHWAY: Building Integrated Pathways to Independence for Diverse Biomedical Researchers."

 It has partnered with Johns Hopkins University, Emory University, Louisiana State University and its Health Sciences Center, Tulane University, The University of Wisconsin, Meharry Medical College, George Washington University, Penn State University, the University of Rochester and the University of California-San Francisco.

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