Mission and Objectives

Mission

  • CRUSADA houses the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) Exploratory Center of Excellence the Center for Substance Use and AIDS Research on Latinos (C-SALUD), whose combined primary goala are to contribute to the reduction, prevention, and eventual elimination of HIV and substance abuse health disparities affecting Latino minorities in the UNited States, and in particular among Latinos residing in Miami-Dade County, using applied clinical science, state-of-the-art methodologies, and public health research approaches CRUSADA is a multi-disciplinary research, education, and community outreach center dedicated to eliminating health disparities in substance abuse and HIV/AIDS that affect the Latino minorities in the U.S.

The Center has five objectives:

  • Objective 1. To conduct original multidisciplinary Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) exploring the role of social and cultural determinants contributing to or influencing Latino HIV and substance abuse health disparities.
  • Objective 2. To provide opportunities for meaningful involvement of the community in substance abuse and HIV health disparities research in Latino populations.
  • Objective 3. To conduct original research exploring the efficacy of a full range of health promotion and information dissemination approaches for improving the health status of Latinos and/or eliminating HIV and substance abuse health disparities confronted by this population.
  • Objective 4. To establish and strengthen innovative CBPR partnerships between academic institutions and community groups/organizations.
  • Objective 5. To increase the number of researchers and professionals from health disparity populations who are committed to eliminating HIV and substance abuse health disparities in Latino populations.