MCHEAR: Michigan Exposure Assessment Laboratory Hub

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ABSTRACT (Administrative Core) The primary objective of the Michigan Children’s Health Exposure Analysis Resource (M-CHEAR) Laboratory Hub is to contribute to large-scale national efforts to advance our knowledge of the impact of the environment on children’s health by offering high-quality, state-of-the-art laboratory support for a wide assortment of targeted and untargeted analyses in biological samples from external researchers conducting epidemiology and clinical studies of child health. The M-CHEAR Administrative Core is designed to ensure effective and efficient use of Hub resources to best serve the needs of the external researchers. This will be achieved through an informative website interface and the coordination of expert consultation on study design and sample analysis needs, regular external and internal communications and meetings, use of state-of-the art laboratory management software, a flexible organizational structure and budget, and regular internal assessments aimed at continuous quality improvement. Specific Aims and Tasks of the Administrative Core include the following: 1) Provide overall administrative and organizational oversight and management of the Hub to ensure time- and cost-efficient sample analysis for external children’s health researchers; 2) Promote Hub services to external users by building and maintaining an informational Hub website that can be linked through NIEHS, CHEAR Coordinating Center, and other relevant portals; 3) Advise and coordinate expert consultation with external applicants on issues of study design, sample collection and processing, multiple analysis possibilities, data management/analysis, and other topics; 4) Harmonize efforts with the CHEAR Coordinating Center, CHEAR Data Center, CHEAR Steering Committee and Scientific Consulting Panel, NIH Staff, and other stakeholders through attendance at bi-annual meetings, monthly conference calls, and use of informal communications (email, phone calls); 5) Communicate with other CHEAR Lab Hubs to capitalize on one another’s capabilities and expertise; 6) Oversee participation of M-CHEAR Resource and Core laboratories in round-robin assessments; 7) Serve as the point of contact for sample intake, storage, tracking and management for the Hub, and coordinate sample transfer to the appropriate Analytical Resource or Core. This will be facilitated through the use of a custom, state-of-the-art laboratory information management system (LIMS); 8) Facilitate effective communication between Hub Cores and Analytical Resources through organization of regular (bi-weekly) meetings of Core/Resource leaders and key personnel; 9) Provide flexible organizational structures and budgets to allow for agile response to address evolving CHEAR needs and priorities, and to promote Hub excellence in quality, collaboration, and innovation; 10) Conduct regular internal self-assessments to inform efforts toward continuous quality improvement in Hub operations, services offered, and ability to anticipate researcher needs; and 11) Generate comprehensive Hub progress reports to NIH.