Earlier this month, Howard University officials commemorated the establishment of a National Human Genome Research Center (NHGC) at the Howard University College of Medicine. The center, the first to be launched at a minority-serving institution in the United States, will focus on genetic research that has major health implications for people of African descent.
"We're here to celebrate excellence," noted Dr. Warren K. Ashe, the associate dean for research at Howard's medical school, of the ceremonies that marked the commemoration of the new research center.
The research center certifies Howard University's prominence in a science field that promises to transform …