Interdisciplinary Healthy Heart Center: Linking Rural Populations by Technology

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the Healthy Heart Center (HHC) is to create an infrastructure that will facilitate developing science to promote cardiovascular (CV) health among rural populations at risk for CV disease by building interdisciplinary teams and using technology. A major strength of this proposal is the interaction and collaboration with other disciplines, which will enrich the work. The pilot studies will position investigators to obtain larger extramural support for full-scale intervention and outcomes studies that will contribute to the body of knowledge on delivering interventions and monitoring outcomes using technology in rural settings. The Center will also facilitate research that will contribute to generation of knowledge for evidence-based CV preventive and promotive practice. As this knowledge is used to eliminate health disparities in rural settings, more people will be enabled to lead healthier lives and potentially save billions of health care dollars. The aims of the HHC are: (1) Facilitate development of research infrastructure to support the center; (2) Expand the number and quality of research projects aimed at improving health and quality of life in both healthy and chronically ill rural individuals with or at risk for cardiovascular disease; (3) Expand the number of research investigators involved in interdisciplinary research related to rural individuals with or at risk for cardiovascular disease; (4) Increase the quantity and quality of research projects using distance technology and biobehavioral methods; and (5) Plan for and develop sustainability of interdisciplinary research programs by building an active and growing research program with collaborations and partnerships both internal and external to CON. These aims will be accomplished through the Administrative Core that oversees the Center, and two additional cores: the Building Interdisciplinary Teams Core, which will facilitate mentoring of Center scientists, provide interdisciplinary guidance and consultation, and assist with building interdisciplinary research teams, and the Rural Technology Core, which will maintain, expand, or develop, technologies and resources, as needed, to deliver interventions and monitor outcomes to support the Center's Pilot Projects. Overall, the HHC will consolidate resources in a creative environment to develop faculty and health promotion/ disease prevention science.