Dr. J. Margo Brooks Carthon, a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Center for Health Policy Research, was awarded a K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award for her proposal “Nurse Practice Environment Influences in Reducing Disparities in Hospital Outcomes.” The research project seeks to understand how characteristics of the nurse work force and the nurse practice environment influence outcomes among hospitalized minority patients. This study will employ a cross sectional, observational design to determine the effects of nurse work force and the practice environment on selected patient outcomes in order to assess what types of investments in nursing resources might be most beneficial to minority patient outcomes.