ARCH PROGRAM

The Advanced Research Cooperation in Environmental Health (ARCH) is a joint effort between Meharry Medical College (as a minority serving institution) and Vanderbilt University (as a research-intensive university) with the overall goal of increasing scholarly productivity of ARCH investigators over the course of the grant period. This program pursues hypothesis-driven research programs in "Molecular Mechanisms of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Toxicity" at Meharry in close collaboration with Vanderbilt faculty. Specific Aims are 1) to develop the research programs of ARCH faculty as measured by joint, impact publications between Meharry-Vanderbilt research teams and 2) to develop the research programs of ARCH faculty to foster the independent careers of these investigators, as measured by successful acquisition of peer-reviewed funding. The strengths and resources of both institutions have been merged to create a program that is expected to increase the success rate of research grant applications from Meharry faculty members to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

The ARCH program consists of three main components:

1. The Administrative and Planning Core, responsible for overall program management
2. The Research Program Development Core, consisting of three pilot projects and one research project conducted by Meharry Medical College investigators in close collaboration with Vanderbilt investigators
3. The Facility Core to provide analytical support services to the ARCH investigators

These three components form a cohesive program in environmental health science research using exposure to benzo(a)pyrene as a model to understand the etiology of neurological dysfunction and cancer.