Center for Appalachian Research in Environmental Sciences-Administrative Core

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PROJECT SUMMARY – Administrative Core The University of Kentucky Center for Appalachian Research in Environmental Sciences (UK-CARES) Administrative Core will coordinate, oversee, and evaluate all programmatic and scientific activities and lead cross-disciplinary career development initiatives, while providing and receiving support from the Integrated Health Sciences Facility Core, the Analytical Chemistry Core for Environmental Sciences, the Community Engagement Core, the Pilot Project Program, and our community partners. The Administrative Core leadership is comprised of highly regarded senior scientists and research mentors who are well qualified to operate an Environmental Health Sciences Core Center (EHS CC) that is responsive to the concerns of people in rural Appalachia and to advance EHS across the translational spectrum. The Administrative Core will actively collaborate with all Center members, community and academic, promoting their research and involving them in Center decision-making and strategic programmatic activities, as well as engaging with other UK Centers and EHS CCs. The organizational structure of UK-CARES will allow for optimal multidirectional Center-Community- University communications and institutional support. Three Advisory Boards will inform our research, provide advice and support, help us form and maintain robust community-academic partnerships, and evaluate program progress: 1) a 12-member Stakeholder Advisory Board representing higher education, environmental justice groups, healthcare, and public health in rural Appalachia; 2) an Internal Advisory Board comprised of 10 high-level campus and community decision makers; and 3) a 4-member External Advisory Board of prominent national leaders in EHS. The Administrative Core has four Aims to: 1) coordinate, monitor, and evaluate the Center’s scientific and programmatic activities; financial oversight and regulatory compliance; productivity; and effectiveness as intellectual needs change; 2) facilitate internal multidirectional communication and responsible conduct of research; 3) facilitate external multidirectional communication; and 4) cultivate careers in EHS with a focus on underrepresented minority faculty. The Core will ensure effective internal and external communications by directing monthly Executive Committee meetings; coordinating an Annual Scientific Retreat, monthly scientific work groups with Center members, and a seminar series; and partnering with key community and state partners via social media, our website, and other scientific and professional venues. The Core’s Career Development Program will recruit and support early-stage investigators (ESIs) to become independent EHS researchers and facilitate established investigators to transition to an EHS research focus through maximizing the use of Center services, cross-disciplinary activities, and mentorship. Career Development Program funding will support independent investigators newly recruited to UK, from outside UK- CARES, or Center member ESIs with partial salary support. In the first cycle, the Administrative Core has grown the Center as a recognizable entity in EHS and public health in rural Appalachia.