Abstract
The Hispanic Health Disparities Research Center, a collaborative venture between the University of Texas at El Paso and the University of Texas at Houston Health Sciences Center, supports the research capabilities of junior faculty through a variety of programs. Novice researchers often need practical help in conducting literature reviews, extracting data, evaluating the evidence, and formulating a research question of significant importance to be funded yet narrow enough to fit within the scope of the proposal. The authors discuss a successful proposal development program that includes mentoring by more senior faculty and structured sessions with a medical writer and editor.