Administrative Core

ABSTRACT – ADMINISTRATIVE CORE The overarching goal of the Administrative Core (AC) is to provide organizational structure to the Center of Excellence (COE) by developing and implementing an efficient governance and management plan. The Administrative Core uses the NIMHD Research Framework's levels of influence to configure the Center's structure and adopts a multi-principal investigator approach that is highly participative in its decision-making process. This Core will build on the extensive administrative, scientific, and program evaluation expertise of its staff to accomplish the Center's goals. The Administrative Core's Advisory Board will provide feedback to this Core to ensure an integrated, interdisciplinary, community-driven, culturally sensitive, and regionally relevant to the health disparities research mission of the COE. The Administrative Core is responsible for the coordination, integration, and management of the Center's activities and the provision of administrative support for the Investigator Development and Community-Engagement and Dissemination Cores, and for facilitating resources needed to achieve their goals. Specific activities pertaining to this core are to develop and implement an efficient organizational and governance structure, develop governance guidelines, conduct fiscal management, provide oversight to the implementation cores' plans, comply with institutional training and federal regulations and policies, and maintain a strong internal and external communication with stakeholders. The Administrative Core is responsible for creating common data collection repositories across the Cores, monitoring and documenting investigator training activities, supporting community engagement and dissemination activities, monitoring progress and outcomes, and monitoring career development outcomes for all trained investigators and community-engagement core activities. In addition, the Administrative Core will advocate for the integration of Community Engagement leadership (CEL) designated courses to augment a culture of community-engaged research among investigators affiliated with the center. Investigators teaching CEL courses will foment a culture of community-engagement research among their students, thus contributing to the development of the next generation of community-engaged researchers. The Administrative Core will support the successful achievement of the Center's activities by providing strategic direction, timely oversight, management, administration, integration, and coordination of the overall Center's team-based community- engaged research activities. In addition, this core will provide support to the implementation of a rigorous and continuous evaluation plan, develop and submit annual progress reports to stakeholders, and prepare annual progress reports for NIMHD. The Administrative Core will be instrumental in the achievement of the Center's goals and in establishing the COE as a recognized and prestigious Center for addressing health disparities in the Paso del Norte Region.