Administrative Core

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Exaggerated cardiovascular risk is arguably the most pressing clinical problem facing nephrologists and their patients. The causes of this preponderance of cardiovascular disease in patients with kidney disease are not clear, but hypertension amplifies cardiovascular risk and promotes progression of chronic kidney disease irrespective of the primary cause. Accordingly, the major objective of the George M. O'Brien Kidney Research Core Center at Duke is to promote and support research into understanding the unique links between the kidney, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. The Administrative Core will be responsible for the overall administrative oversight for the Center. The Director, Dr. Thomas Coffman, will have primary responsibility for coordinating day-to-day operations. He will be assisted by the Associate Director and Center Administrator. Primary governance of the Center will be provided by an Executive Committee consisting of the Center Director, Associate Director, the Core Directors, Chair of the Pilot and Feasibility Program, and Coordinator of the Enrichment Program. The Specific Aims of the Administrative Core are: (1) Provide general oversight of Core operations and performance; (2) Review and assign priorities to proposals for use of Core services, including: (a) establishing investigator eligibility, (b) determining scientific priorities, and (c) determining overall priorities for use of Core services; (3) Implement modifications in Core services based on development of new technologies or services, sub-optimal performance of existing technologies or services, and/or economic factors; (4) Promote interactions between the cores with an emphasis on transitioning discoveries from basic discovery projects to clinical and translational programs, (5) Assessing adequacy of resource allocation; (6) Oversight for pilot and feasibility studies to explore new areas of research relevant to the kidney in cardiovascular diseases serving as a foundation for other external funding. These funds will support new investigators, and will be used to entice senior investigators to address key issues in this thematic area; and (7) Develop education programs designed to highlight the importance of the interrelationship of kidney and cardiovascular disease, to inform Center investigators of the latest advances in relevant research, and to train investigators in clinical and basic science approaches to advance research.