Health Careers Opportunity Programs and Centers of Excellence

• There are various federal grants designed to provide support for minority recruitment and retention programs. Two of these grants are Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) grants and Center of Excellence (COE) grants. These grants receive Title VII funding, which are federal funds delegated to protect civil liberties and equal educational opportunities. There are at least six dental schools with HCOP grants, including University of Connecticut, University of California at San Francisco, Temple University, Baylor College of Dentistry, University of Michigan, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The four colleges with COE grants are the Meharry Medical College, University of Oklahoma, University of Puerto Rico and University of Texas Health Center at San Antonio.
  
  

Health Professions Partnership Initiative

• The Association of American Medical Colleges Project provided the foundation for the Health Professions Partnership Initiative (HIPPI) in 1996. These grants prepare minority students through various academic programs. There were 11 HIPPI-granted schools. The first round HPPI grants were given to University of Connecticut, University of Louisville, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Nebraska Medical Center and Oregon Health and Science University. The second group of grantees were University of Michigan, University of Missouri-Kansas City and University of Pittsburgh. The third group included University of Illinois in Chicago, Creighton University and University of Alabama at Birmingham.
  
  

National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research

• In 2001, the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) granted approximately $7 million per year over a seven-year period to research dental health disparities. This research is conducted at NIDCR Centers for Research to Reduce Oral Health Disparities, which are located at five select universities: Boston University, New York University, University of California at San Francisco, University of Michigan and the University of Washington. These centers create strategies to eradicate disparities and also provide training and career development.
  
  

W.K. Kellogg Foundation

• The W.K. Kellogg Foundation granted $3.5 million to ADEA with two major awards designed to increase minority students and faculty in dental schools. Twenty-five percent of funds from the Access to Dental Careers (ADC) program are used for recruitment purposes. There are 15 schools receiving ADC grant funds, including Boston University, Howard University, Loma Linda University, Meharry Medical College, Ohio State University, Temple University, University of California at Los Angeles, University of California at San Francisco and University of Connecticut.