Junius Gonzalez named advisor to National Institutes of Health Initiative – Press Room

Junius Gonzalez, Montclair State University President and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, announced the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund, an initiative that supports bold scientific programs that accelerate discovery across the full spectrum of biomedical and behavioral research. Appointed as one of the five advisors. .

Specifically, he is a member of the NIH Common Fund's advisory consultant team. Systematic Recruitment of Teachers for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) This program aims to strengthen and sustain an inclusive culture of excellence in the biomedical research community.

The National Institutes of Health is America's premier medical research organization, investing nearly $48 billion annually in research that impacts Americans. Its mission is to explore fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems in order to improve health, extend lifespan, and reduce disease and disability.

Mr. Gonzalez joins prominent leaders from Harvard Medical School, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and the Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center as advisors to the Common Fund. The fund creates a space for researchers and multiple NIH institutes and centers to collaborate on innovative research.

In this role, he will assist NIH's Office of Strategic Coordination staff, the Fund's working groups, and the FIRST program's program awardees in determining whether their research creates value for the biomedical research community. Provides important scientific and managerial insights.

“The National Institutes of Health is demonstrating a commitment to increasing the diversity of its research workforce through an innovative common fund approach. It is loud and clear through its sounds. NIH-wide Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) for Fiscal Years 2023-2027 And so on,” Gonzalez says.

Throughout his distinguished 30-year career, Gonzalez has worked as a faculty member, researcher, and senior administrator. His research interests include mental health disparities among Latinos, treatment of depression, and non-cognitive factors that influence college student success. He has received his $15 million in research funding from sources such as the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Gates Foundation, and has published more than 50 academic papers and book chapters.

As provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Montclair University, he led several initiatives to promote faculty recruitment and success.

“I am grateful to my team of consulting advisors for this important effort led by the National Institutes of Health, one of the world's leaders in supporting health research, with $48 billion and more than 300,000 researchers. We are honored and humbled to have been invited to join the “We are home to more than 2,500 universities, medical schools, and other research institutions in every state,'' Gonzalez said. “I am proud to have been supported by the NIH and to have worked within it to support researchers who improve the health and well-being of people.”

For more information about Montclair State University's Office of the President, visit montclair.edu/provost.