Developmental Core

发展核心将成为重要发展研究项目的试点资金来源，其目标是：1)探索创新的跨学科研究思路，利用该中心在行为改变、运动科学、营养、实施科学、健康传播和地理空间分析方面的专业知识，重点解决持续贫困问题；2)鼓励在其他领域工作的成功研究人员集中他们的专业知识，为生活在持续贫困中的人们开发成功的癌症预防和控制干预措施。我们将核心视为一个机会，不仅可以加强中心，而且可以确保它灵活并对该领域的最新发展作出反应。核心的关键职能将是确定和维持一系列试点项目，这些项目可能发展成为全面的项目，以加速产生关于在持续贫困的情况下减少癌症风险和痛苦的有效干预措施的知识。发展核心将鼓励试点项目，这些项目将考虑到这一持续贫困社区的独特情况，并利用中心的跨学科专门知识。通过Be Well™Acres Homes与社区合作伙伴合作，实施基于证据的癌症预防干预措施，使研究人员能够在这些社区一级的项目和资源的背景下测试新的干预措施，或评估与环境变量对癌症预防的影响相关的假设。现有的Be Well Acres Homes社区行动计划将为试点项目提供独特的机会，不仅在中心内，而且在其他资助的持续贫困中心和持续贫困倡议网络之间。积极参与参与核心，Be Well Acres Homes社区顾问确保研究问题以社区的需求和优先事项为基础，在研究的每一步与社区成员合作，从形成研究问题和优先事项到征求建议，再到审查和做出资助决定。这种有意义的参与将成为“带来环境和行为改变的有力工具，从而改善社区及其成员的健康。”

The Developmental Core will be a source of pilot funding for important developmental research projects with the goals of: 1) exploring innovative transdisciplinary research ideas, leveraging the Center’s expertise in behavior change, exercise science, nutrition, implementation science, health communication, and geospatial analytics, that focus on addressing persistent poverty; and 2) encouraging successful researchers working in other fields to focus their expertise toward the development of successful cancer prevention and control interventions for people living in persistent poverty. We envision the Core as an opportunity not only to reinforce the Center, but also to ensure that it is agile and responsive to the latest developments in the field. The key function of the Core will be to identify and maintain a pipeline of pilot projects that may grow into full projects to accelerate generation of knowledge on effective interventions for reducing risk and suffering from cancer in the context of persistent poverty. The Developmental Core will encourage pilot projects that incorporate consideration of the unique context of this persistent poverty community and leverage the Center’s transdisciplinary expertise. Collaborating with community partners through Be Well™ Acres Homes to implement evidence-based cancer prevention interventions enables researchers to test novel interventions, or evaluate hypotheses related to the effects of contextual variables on cancer prevention, in the context of these neighborhood-level programs and resources. The existing Be Well Acres Homes community action plan will provide unique opportunities for pilot projects not only within the Center but also across other funded persistent poverty centers, and the Persistent Poverty Initiative Network. Active engagement with the Engagement Core, Be Well Acres Homes Community Advisors ensures that research questions are grounded in the needs and priorities of the community by working collaboratively with community members in every step of research, from forming research questions and priorities and soliciting proposals, to review and make funding decisions. This meaningful engagement will serve as “a powerful vehicle for bringing about environmental and behavioral changes that will improve the health of the community and its members.”