Administrative Core

Administrative Core Summary The role of the administrative core will be to coordinate resources, expertise and programs to develop the proposed Interdisciplinary Health Equity Research Center, oversee its day-to-day activities, and ensure its success. The focus of the Administrative Core will be to create a community at Delaware State University

linking researchers who are studying social and behavioral determinants of health with biomedical researchers who are investigating conditions that have a disparate impact on underserved populations, and building connections with the community. The Administrative Core will coordinate the activities of the

IHER cores and ensure that they are efficiently supporting IHER investigators to develop their research programs and become competitive for NIH funding while connecting with the community. One Center co-Director is an NIH-funded biomedical researcher with a track record of successfully directing an NIH-funded center and mentoring early stage faculty in a variety of biomedical disciplines.

The other co-director is an epidemiologist and public health expert with experience managing the DSU component of an NIH-funded clinical and translational research center. Together they will provide scientific and mentoring leadership for the Center, coordinate Center initiatives, provide oversight for IHER Center

Cores and for overall project evaluation. The Administrative Core will provide leadership as the IHER Center builds a research-enabling infrastructure at DSU by providing leadership to: (a) Fund the research of Project Leads and enhance infrastructure and human resources to support their research; (b) Award pilot grants and coordinate a suite

of career enhancement activities for post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty via close collaboration with the Investigator Development and Community Engagement and Dissemination cores; (c) Support the dissemination of health disparities research through both traditional academic and direct community

outreach channels; and (d) Hire outstanding “anchor” faculty members with active research programs and external funding related to health behavior and health disparities. An innovative summer research program will involve undergraduate and graduate students in high-quality research experiences and a scientific

community focused on reducing health disparities. The Admin Core will coordinate administration and governance of IHER Center activities, and implement an evaluation and reporting program to assess and document the progress of the cores and researchers in accomplishing the IHER Center goals of enhancing health science research and supporting

early stage investigators toward independence.