C1-Administrative Core

NMARC’s Administrative Core is responsible for providing scientific and administrative leadership for the entire center program along with administrative support and budgetary oversight of all NMARC-related activities. Operational oversight of the NMARC is provided by a three-tiered system of management: 1) The Administrative Core led by the Center Director, Dr. Fernando Valenzuela; 2) the NMARC Steering Committee, composed of four NMARC investigators, along with the former Center Director, Dr. Savage, and a community representative; and 3) the NMARC Program Advisory Committee (PAC), composed of five alcohol research investigators whose collective expertise will provide oversight and assessment of NMARC’s progress towards achieving its strategic goals, the specific aims of the center as a whole, and the specific aims of each individual research component. All NMARC investigators receive routine administrative support. The Admin Core also arranges all NMARC- related meetings, manages logistical arrangements for NMARC seminar visitors, the Annual FASD Day Symposium, and the Annual NMARC Meeting with the PAC. The Steering Committee meets at least monthly to review progress on the research components and to discuss any resource allocation issues. The Steering Committee also meets with the PAC during the Annual NMARC meeting to discuss each research component’s progress, the operation and coordination of the Administrative and Pilot Project cores, and the center’s overall progress towards the achievement of the specific aims of the center as a whole. The Admin Core also provides scientific leadership and direction to NMARC’s investigators, working to help them achieve the specific aims of their individual projects while advancing the specific aims of the center as a whole. The Admin Core facilitates collaborative research interactions and communication through the monthly NMARC Investigator Group meetings with all NMARC-affiliated investigators, working to increase the integration of preclinical and clinical research projects. The Admin Core also works to build NMARC’s research capacity through oversight of the pilot project program, continued efforts to recruit new faculty investigators to NMARC, building research collaborations with other institutions and encouraging the training of future FASD investigators. The Admin Core manages all issues related to resource allocation within the NMARC and strives to maximize the synergistic utilization of research resources within the center. The Admin Core coordinates and facilitates NMARC investigator access to other resources within the university. Finally, the Admin Core works to enhance our knowledge dissemination capabilities through our NMARC Seminar Series, the Annual FASD Day Symposium, a NMARC Webpage, and expanding our community outreach activities. Assessment of NMARC’s progress towards the achievement of these aims and the strategic objectives is the responsibility of the Steering Committee working in conjunction with the PAC. The Center Director serves as the point of contact between NMARC, the Program Advisory Committee, and NIAAA program staff.