Administrative Core

Modified Project Summary/Abstract Section Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent worldwide, and accounts for a third of the total number of deaths caused by HIV/AIDS. Understanding the role of alcohol in new TB infection, occurrence of active TB disease, and lung disease after TB treatment in the context of HIV infection is vital to reducing the risks of TB morbidity and mortality among PLWH. The theme of the International URBAN Alcohol Research Collaboration on HIV/AIDS (URBAN ARCH) Center is to understand the impact of alcohol on the spectrum of TB infection among PLWH. The International URBAN ARCH Center will continue to build on its experience in establishing and maintaining cohorts of PLWH in Uganda and will evaluate research questions uniquely addressable in this location. This global research is aligned with the NIH Office of AIDS Research’s highest priorities for HIV and HIV-related research (i.e., addressing HIV-associated comorbidities, coinfections, and complications). The Administrative (Admin) Core will provide the organizational framework for the International URBAN ARCH Center and will facilitate synergy among the Center’s 4 components: 1) Admin Core; 2) Biostatistics and Data Management (BDM) Core; 3) Research Project 1, TRAC study; and 4) Research Project 2, PTLD study. The Admin Core will be responsible for day-to-day management and functioning of the Center with the goal of ensuring that the scientific and programmatic activities of the Center are integrated and carried out with high quality and timeliness. The Admin Core will accomplish the following Specific Aims: 1) Promote a collaborative, synergistic approach to research goals; 2) Facilitate communication, integration, and collaboration between all Center components; 3) Coordinate access to resources including the International URBAN ARCH Center data and sample repository; 4) Assess and foster components’ progress and quality to maximize the scientific impact of the Center; 5) Encourage the sharing of data with investigators within the Center and beyond; and 6) Develop future leadership of the Center and the next generation of HIV/alcohol researchers. Under the leadership of the Admin Core and with its expert facilitation and research management, the International URBAN ARCH Center will generate new generalizable knowledge about the complex relationship between TB, HIV, and alcohol use in order to accelerate the future development of interventions that can reduce alcohol’s impact on TB-related morbidity and mortality among PLWH. The success of the International URBAN ARCH Center is critically dependent on the Admin Core’s scientific and administrative leadership to ensure that all components function optimally and synergistically.