CNS-Met Administrative Core

PROJECT SUMMARY – ADMINISTRATIVE CORE Research in CNS metabolism has garnered interest from many fields, including Alzheimer’s Disease, brain injury (including traumatic injury, stroke, etc), epilepsy, and Parkinson’s Disease, and likely involves all areas of CNS-related research. The University of Kentucky College of Medicine has made significant investments over

the last few years in both metabolomics instrumentation and investigators with metabolomics expertise that enhanced existing UK strengths in neuroscience, cancer, cardiovascular, and diabetes & obesity research. The objective of this application is to create an NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in CNS

Metabolism (CNS-Met). This proposal builds on existing strengths at UK as well as strengths of both the senior and junior investigators in brain physiology, neuropathology, and CNS metabolism. The CNS-Met Administrative Core (Admin Core) will coordinate communication and access among the CNS-Met groups, the

above-mentioned metabolism-centric research programs, and other existing UK strengths as well as core facilities established by other UK COBREs to support a multidisciplinary, team-based program that trains the next generation of faculty focused on brain metabolism. The CNS-Met Administrative Core is directed by Dr.

Matthew Gentry and co-directed by Dr. Patrick Sullivan, senior scientists with complementary expertise in CNS metabolism and demonstrated leadership skills. The Core will ensure and provide effective coordination and oversight of research projects, research cores usage and service, general infrastructure, administrative, and

fiscal matters. It will provide robust and timely financial management and will facilitate internal communication between CNS-Met constituents. It will be responsible for coordinating the recruitment of future research project leaders and mentors and for managing and implementing pilot program funding. The Admin Core will do all of

these activities while ensuring that CNS-Met activities are in compliance with federal regulations. The overarching goal of the CNS-Met Administrative Core is to deliver administrative, fiscal, and scientific leadership and center-wide coordination to COBRE Research Project Leaders, their mentors, research

core, and other COBRE-supported investigators. To achieve these goals, the core will: 1) Coordinate operational and fiscal management, infrastructure and program planning, and communication processes across all COBRE components.; and 2) Facilitate and coordinate research training, mentoring, and career

development activities for early-stage investigators in brain metabolism research; 3) Implement a pilot studies program to seed new research across neuroscience research thrusts; and 4) Provide effective formative and summative assessment of COBRE projects and activities of the CNS-Met group.