FIU opens center for research on AIDS and substance abuse among Latinos, funded by $6.5 million grant

Florida International University will host the grand opening of FIU’s Center for Substance Abuse and AIDS Research on Latinos in the U.S. (C-SALUD), a center that will contribute to the prevention and elimination of health disparities that affect Latinos.

The ceremony will take place on Thursday, April 24, from 2 – 5 p.m., at the International Pavilion of the MARC building at FIU-University Park. John Ruffin, director of the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD), will deliver the keynote address.

The C-SALUD Center is part of FIU’s Center for Research on U.S. Latinos HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse (CRUSADA). The C-SALUD center was funded by a five-year, $6.5 million grant from the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is one of the largest grants that NIH has ever given to FIU.

The goals of the C-SALUD Center include conducting research into the social and behavioral factors that contribute to the reduction of minority health disparities and the efficacy of various health promotions and approaches for improving or eliminating these disparities.

“C- SALUD’S research and training initiatives will lead to the development of more effective substance abuse and HIV treatment and prevention programs and reduce the incidence of these health problems in Latino communities in South Florida and throughout the nation,” said Mario De La Rosa, Director of CRUSADA.

Members of the FIU community who wish to attend the grand opening should RSVP by calling 305-348-7353 or emailing rbabino@fiu.edu.

—FIU—

Media Contact
Madeline Baró, 305-348-2234 or mbaro@fiu.edu