The Jackson Heart Study, JHS, uses community-driven research strategies that promise impact in the near and the long term as a response to American health disparities. This research includes scientific investigations in the tradition of Framingham and other large-scale epidemiologic studies to confirm or revise our understanding of key factors in the current epidemic. The future health of the nation compels us to produce future cohorts of scientists that are prepared to sustain any gains made and to press on toward the long-term goal of eliminating CVD from all segments of American society. The dearth of scientists from the population most afflicted by CVD means that we must make the inclusion of such scientists in the scientific workforce a priority. Through programs described in this issue, the JHS is taking steps toward these goals. Ultimately, the science and the scientists produced by JHS will produce health benefits that transcend geography, ethnicity, and the current era of population research.

This study was supported through a subcontract to the University of Mississippi.