[bright music] ♪ - BBRI's vision is to conduct health disparities research, but also to prepare minority researchers.

- The perception I always try to get across to students is that what we do here in the lab not only impacts African-Americans, it does impact the world.

Because there are a lot more Brown people and people of color on this planet than any other group.

And to understand how different things impact the biology and the social and behavioral pieces, helps us actually affect the entire world, not just North Carolina, not just the United States.

- You cannot make a dent in health disparities research, unless you have enough minority researchers.

- Representation matters in our country.

And when I consider all of the challenges facing our country around racial equity, health equity, social injustice, researchers will be negligent to not use their data to help solve some of the problems facing minority communities.

- The goal of the mobile unit is to meet people right where they are, in their homes, in their communities where they feel most safe at.

We can come to them and give them what they need instead of them having to find ways to get to us or find ways to get to better healthcare.

- And we've really taken some time to really build upon an innate relationship that exists between a historically Black college and African-Americans within North Carolina.

Our goal is to capture the relationship between the biology of health disparities, as well as the social and behavioral pieces.

And by combining those two, you really bring to the table a unique, innovative approach to explaining or defining what those health disparities look like, whether they be cancer, cardiovascular disease or behavioral issues that might occur because of the environment and the social and behavioral pieces behind that.

Every student that comes to the door, I see my child.

I see my daughter.

I see my son.

And that takes on a different meaning when you realize that this is someone else's child and they aspire to be like you or be similar.

And I think that's the piece that motivates me, is a desire to keep it going, keep the momentum going.

- That passion, that motivation is knowing that if I complete my end game, that what I'm doing could possibly save someone's life.

That's my motivation.

Simply my motivation.

I don't think it's anything deeper than that.

What I do could save someone's life.

- And BBRI, it's not a building, it's a philosophy that we are living.

The whole idea of conducting health disparities research, where departments at NCCU come together to really try to make a difference in the community.

That's what BBRI is.

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