Administrative Core

ADMINISTRATIVE CORE: ABSTRACT The MD Anderson Sarcoma SPORE Administrative Core (AC) will provide administrative and budgetary support to ensure the maximal success of the program. It will form the coordinating center for interactions within the MD Anderson SPORE community, as well as the community at large. The AC will be co-directed by Richard Gorlick, M.D., and Andrew Futreal, Ph.D., and supported by Christine Geistkemper, M.P.H., SPORE Research Program Manager. The goals of the AC will be to provide coordination, oversight, and monitoring for the three Projects, the Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Core, and the Tissue and Pathology Core. In addition, it will coordinate the Developmental Research (DRP) and Career Enhancement (CEP) Programs. The overarching goals of the AC are to facilitate collaboration amongst Sarcoma SPORE investigators, institutional efforts, and external entities, including other SPORES and the NCI, as well as to coordinate Sarcoma SPORE clinical trial activities. The AC will support the activities of the Executive Committee, which is comprised of the Co-Directors, Project Co-Leaders, and Core Co-Directors. The AC’s specific responsibilities include: 1. Monitoring the research activities of the SPORE and providing stable and continuous leadership to Project leaders, Core directors, and CEP and DRP awardees. 2. Promoting integration, communication, and collaboration among the SPORE and collaborating investigators at MD Anderson and other institutions. 3. Monitoring scientific integrity and ensuring overall compliance with all institutional, state, federal, and NCI regulations and requirements. 4. Integrating sarcoma clinical trials across the multiple divisions participating in the Sarcoma SPORE. 5. Coordinating and monitoring sample and data exchange and access among projects and cores. 6. Providing oversight for completion of the goals and directives of the DRP and CEP. 7. Convening and managing all necessary meetings, including those of the Executive Committee, Internal Advisory Board, External Advisory Board, and Advocacy Board. 8. Overseeing expenditures and ensuring appropriate expenditure rates for allocated funds. 9. Communicating and consulting on a regular basis with the NCI Translational Research Program Director and staff, and preparing all necessary internal and external reports. 10. Encouraging and facilitating translational sarcoma cancer research by extramural groups.