Southern California Children's Enviromental Health Center (SC-CEHC)

描述(由申请人提供) 该中心的主要目标是提供一个高效的基础设施，协调和促进整个中心的活动，并促进科学整合和社区参与。Rob McConnell博士和Michael Goran博士将为实现这些目标提供领导，分别带来环境健康和儿童肥胖/代谢功能方面的专业知识。CORE的目标是确保基础、临床和公共卫生科学家与社区外展教职员工之间的多学科互动，以加强在儿童健康方面的世界级研究和外展计划。核心将建立一个由SC-CEHC调查员和COTC主任组成的执行委员会，以促进科学互动并协调内部/外部活动。将组织一次季度会议，更详细地介绍研究挑战和进展，并探索在三个项目和COTC之间进行科学互动的机会。外部咨询委员会将每年举行会议，审查进展情况，并提供评价和咨询意见。所有会议和讲习班都将在核心支助下组织。具体目标是： 1)协调一项研究计划，将最先进的暴露评估与创新的健康影响研究相结合，以在了解空气污染对儿童肥胖和代谢失调的影响方面取得快速进展。核心机制将促进两个南加州大学团队之间日益成熟的合作，这两个团队正在进行以下方面的研究：1)儿童暴露评估和空气污染对健康的影响；2)儿童肥胖和糖尿病。一个重要的资源是丰富的机构科学环境，包括补充中心和行政基础设施，它们将被用来共同主办研讨会和讲习班，并在中心内外建立科学协同作用。 2)促进将研究成果转化/应用于预防、政策和临床决策领域，并向社区、临床医生和政策制定者提供有价值的信息。该中心将为社区参与活动和儿科保健专家提供行政支助，以帮助确定加强中心研究成果翻译的科学和外联机会。 3)提供财政管理和报告，并协调与NIEHS和EPA的互动。核心将管理预算的所有方面，包括分包合同，并将协助研究项目和COTC进行采购和报销。该中心将准备所有报告，并与NIEHS和EPA协调。 4)将初级研究员的职业发展计划培养成儿科环境健康研究的独立贡献者。中心将协调一个强有力的职业发展计划，以促进教师发展调查员向研究独立性的进步。调查人员将提供机会对拨款申请进行模拟同行审查，审查陈述技能，与南加州大学研究界内外的其他调查人员建立联系。职业发展活动一直是现有SCEHSC的一部分，该项目在该中心的外部审查中排名很高。此外，参加COTC活动将是发展非技术性演示技能的机会，这将是一项宝贵的职业资产。 5)为促进儿童环境健康领域的交流、创新和研究成果的国家网络作出重要贡献。CORE、COTC和SC-CEHC领导层将参加电话会议和SC-CEHC董事年度会议。我们将寻求中心间协作的机会。此外，SC-CEHC的调查人员将参加全国电话会议，包括NIEHS环境公共卫生网络项目和其他团体的电话会议，介绍SC-CEHC关于空气污染、肥胖和新陈代谢后果的最新研究成果。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant) The primary goal of the Core is to provide an efficient infrastructure coordinating and facilitatin activities across the Center and to promote scientific integration and community engagement. Drs. Rob McConnell and Michael Goran will provide leadership to achieve these goals, bringing expertise in environmental health and childhood obesity/metabolic function, respectively. The goal of the Core is to ensure multidisciplinary interactions among basic, clinical, and public health scientists and community outreach faculty and staff to enhance a world-class research and outreach program in children's health. The Core will establish an Executive Committee of SC-CEHC investigators and the COTC Director to foster scientific interaction and coordinate internal/external activities. A quarterly meeting will be organized to present research challenges and progress in more detail and to explore opportunities for scientific interaction across the three Projects and the COTC. An External Advisory Committee will meet annually to review progress and to provide evaluation and advice. All meetings and workshops will be organized with Core support. Specific Aims are to: 1) Coordinate a program of research that integrates state-of-the-art exposure assessment with innovative health effects research to achieve rapid advances in understanding the impact of air pollution on childhood obesity and metabolic dysregulation. The Core mechanisms will facilitate maturing collaboration between two USC teams conducting research on 1) exposure assessment and health effects of air pollution in children and 2) childhood obesity and diabetes. An important resource is the rich institutional scientific environment including complementary centers and an administrative infrastructure that will be leveraged to co-sponsor seminars and workshops and build scientific synergy within and outside the Center. 2) Facilitate the translation/application of research findings to prevention, policy, and clinical decision making arenas and provide valuable information to communities, clinicians and policymakers. The Core will provide administrative support to community engagement activities and to the Pediatric Health Specialist to help identify scientific and outreach opportunities for enhancing translation of Center research findings. 3) Provide fiscal management and reporting and coordinate interactions with NIEHS and EPA. The Core will manage all aspects of the budget including subcontracts and will assist the research projects and COTC with purchasing and reimbursements. The Core will prepare all reports and coordinate with NIEHS and EPA. 4) Foster the career development program of junior investigators into independent contributors to pediatric environmental health research. The Core will coordinate a robust career development program to promote the progress of the faculty development investigator to research independence. The investigators will provide opportunities for mock peer review of grant applications, review of presentation skills, networking with other investigators within the USC research community and beyond. Career development activities have been part of the existing SCEHSC, a program which ranked highly in that center's external review. In addition, participation in COTC activities will be an opportunity to develop skills in non-technical presentations that will be a valuable career asset. 5) Make important contributions to national networks that foster communication, innovation, and research excellence in the area of children's environmental health. The Core, COTC and SC-CEHC leadership will participate in conference calls and the annual meetings of SC-CEHC directors. Opportunities for inter-Center collaboration will be sought. In addition, SC-CEHC investigators will participate in national conference calls including those of the NIEHS Programs in Environmental Public Health Network, and of other groups, to present the SC-CEHC's most recent research findings on air pollution, obesity and metabolic consequences.