Tuskegee University breaks ground for new Center for Genomics and Health Disparity Research
A new research center is coming to Tuskegee University.
University officials held a groundbreaking ceremony this morning for the new Center for Genomics and Health Disparity Research.
The center is designed to bridge the gap in health disparities and incorporate genomics-driven research to ensure broader representation in clinic trials. The goal of the university is to become better known for its research into various cancers, such as cervical and prostate.
“I was proud the day I got here. I was proud the day I left and I’m prouder today to know that this generation of students, the new Tuskegee Airmen, the new scientists, the new George Washington Carvers, are still working on things that matter. It’s so much more than a school. It’s always been that to me, so much more than a school, it’s a belief,” Tuskegee University President Dr. Mark Brown told Action 8 News.
“A certain person comes into the doctor’s office, and you have a treatment tailored for you — based on your genes, based on your environment and based on the circumstances you lived in — that’s what that looks like. Within this facility, we’ll be creating those models that will make sure medicine is not just for a few, but for everyone,” Dr. Clayton Yates, the former director of the biomedical center, said.
“It gives me great pride that moving forward, after I’m long gone, there’s going to be a building that is sitting here that is going to help the future generations of students and scientists here, and that that’s how things move forward,” Dr. Channel Prakesh, the Dean of the College of Arts and Science, said.
The new center is expected to be finished by the fall of 2026.
