Integrated Health Sciences Facility Core

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SUMMARY/ABSTRACT (Integrated Health Sciences Core) M-LEEaD’s mission is to accelerate research that defines the impact of environmental exposures during vulnerable life stages and to promote translation of research findings to interventions that mitigate chronic disease. In support of this mission, the M-LEEaD Integrated Health Sciences Core (IHSC) promotes multi-directional translational research using integrated multi-disciplinary approaches with the goal of advancing understanding of the impact of environmental exposures across the life- course on risk of chronic disease. In this competing renewal, we have restructured the IHSC and have incorporated the former Environmental Statistics Core in order to maximize efficiency and integrate overlapping functions. A new component of the IHSC is the environmental health practice team in charge of overseeing outreach to the state and regional professional practice. The IHSC specific objectives are: 1) to facilitate interaction between basic, mechanistic and toxicological science, population sciences, clinical research and practice professionals through the searchable, web-based information kiosk (the M-LEEaD Repository Kiosk), annual workshops and weekly seminars; 2) to optimize the value and utilization of our large human and animal specimen and data resources for environmental health research through the M-LEEaD Repository Kiosk; and 3) to promote sound study design, quality specimen collection, and rigorous statistical analysis, as well as the development of statistical methods and collaborations to advance environmental research through our consultation services, seminars, and workshops. A distinctive feature of the IHSC core is that our services are not related to a specific technology. Rather, the IHSC provides a critical linkage function promoting translational scholarship and multi-directional stakeholder partnerships. We provide consulting services to ensure quality of research designs, exposure assessment, laboratory analyses, and analytic methods, with specific guidance on establishing and maximizing utilization of human and animal biobanks. We capitalize on the rich set of NIH supported studies led by center members that encompass a wide range of exposures and life-stages through the M-LEEaD Repository Kiosk providing information about research opportunities within these well-defined human population and animal studies, and their associated data and bio-repositories. On the statistical front, the IHSC develops and consults on cutting-edge statistical methods to advance environmental health. The IHSC aims to facilitate translation to practice and policy by hosting two annual workshops, one focused on environmental statistics and one focused on Environmental Health Practice.