Leadership and Administrative Core

PROJECT SUMMARY LAC The purpose of the Leadership and Administrative Core (LAC) is to provide the administrative infrastructure and scientific leadership necessary to achieve the overall aims of the UConn OAIC. The long-range goal of the LAC is to lead the way in establishing a highly productive research and education program at the University of

Connecticut (UConn), spanning laboratory, clinical and community, and population-based science guided by the theme of Precision Gerontology. This goal will be addressed through 4 specific aims: (1) Provide OAIC leadership to ensure successful administration and integration of all OAIC activities. The LAC will coordinate

activities of all administrative entities within the UConn OAIC, including the Steering Committee, the External Advisory Board, the Independent Review Panel and the Community Advisory Board. During monthly Steering Committee meetings, the LAC will monitor progress of all Cores and Components, and lead discussions about

how to continuously develop collaborative research and education activities across Cores and Components. The LAC also will ensure timely submission of progress reports to the External Advisory Board and NIA; (2) Explore and assess opportunities for scientific progress aligned with emphasis on multidisciplinary team

initiatives consistent with the UConn OAIC theme of Precision Gerontology and the OAIC mission. During monthly Steering Committee meetings, the LAC will facilitate ongoing discussion about how to promote development of UConn’s research portfolio consistent with the Precision Gerontology theme. The Steering

Committee is a highly multidisciplinary group and represents the continuum of research from bench to bedside to population, ensuring a fertile environment for exploring and assessing opportunities for scientific progress; (3) Ensure full compliance with all regulatory requirements. The LAC will ensure that all studies supported by

UConn OAIC funds meet all UConn and federal human subjects and animal protection compliance regulations before they are permitted to commence, and will monitor ongoing compliance of OAIC-supported studies with relevant regulations until they are completed; (4) Evaluate progress of OAIC Cores and Components to

achieve UConn OAIC research and educational goals. The LAC will help design evaluation tools for all Cores and Components, compile evaluation results, and use evaluation results to continuously improve the UConn OAIC’s capacity to achieve its research and educational goals. By accomplishing these Aims, the LAC will

provide the scientific leadership and administrative oversight necessary to promote and grow multidisciplinary geriatric and gerontological research at UConn related to the UConn OAIC theme of Precision Gerontology. The accumulation of knowledge through research related to Precision Gerontology will help contribute to

improvement and restoration of independence of older adults.