Admin Core

During the current funding cycle, the Administrative Core provided dynamic, efficient administrative and scientific leadership, oversight, and logistical support for the RCMI Health Disparities Center at Meharry Medical College (RHDR@MMC). The Core achieved its specific aims by supporting activities including leveraging of resources, conducting evaluation of the Center’s progress, and providing career enhancement activities for postdocs and junior investigators. The core supported the Advisory Committee (AC) and Steering Committee (SC), promoted achievements of all cores and research projects, and leveraged other ongoing career development activities at Meharry towards elimination of health disparities. The core’s overarching goal in this renewal is to further enhance its capacity to provide active and dynamic leadership and build on well-demonstrated capability and expertise to manage the strategic and operational need of our RHDR@MMC program. Hence, in this renewal application the specific aims of the Administrative Core are:
Specific Aim 1: To manage RHDR@MMC resources efficiently and effectively towards maximization of programmatic impact. The Administrative Core will promote and nurture strong collaborations with directors of the cores to leverage institutional resources; partner with Meharry’s Office of VP for Research and Innovation, and Grants Managements Office to ensure strong oversight and integration of all services and programs required to increase MMC’s biomedical research capacity and productivity.
Specific Aim 2: To provide dynamic and effective Administrative and programmatic oversight and ensure efficient communication between the Cores, Schools and NIMHD. The Core will work closely with NIMHD, our deans and our Grants Administration to ensure that all programmatic requirements including submission of progress and financial reports are timely met.
Specific Aim 3: To provide vital administrative support for the Steering Committee (SC), the Advisory Committee (AC), and implement their recommendations to maximize programmatic improvement. The Administrative Core will schedule all meetings and support all activities of our SC and AC, and produce and distribute minutes and reports, and follow-up on actions and responses to SC and AC’s recommendations.
Specific Aim 4: To develop and implement an effective plan for self-evaluation of both short and long- term goals while implementing effective tracking of our programmatic activities. Annual internal and mid- term evaluations will be conducted with focus on inputs, outputs, and outcomes as well as impact based on programmatic milestones; recommend improvements will be provided to MMC by senior leaders and program administration.
Specific Aim 5: To ensure that research projects stay on track and our scientists progress through a grant submission on time. The Administrative Core will collaborate with Investigator Develop Core (IDU) and Blue-Sky Committees to effectively monitor Investigators’ progress towards securing R01 level grants.
In summary, through providing integrative administrative and logistic support we will collaborate with our proposed cores to accomplish these specific aims. A well-qualified and experienced PI and Contact-PI/PD will direct the Administrative Core with assistance from Admin Core Staff, the AC and SC. This core will achieve its overall responsibility by ensuring that RHDR@MMC’s funded research is performed in strong compliance with federal polices and regulations. This core will provide effective oversight, coordinate all activities of the cores, oversee truthful budget implementation, promote research career development of our junior faculty and postdocs, implement effective communication, and coordinate with NIMHD Program Officials. Lastly, the core will implement effective programmatic evaluation, and monitor and track progress for on-time reporting to NIMHD. In conclusion, by strongly implementing these specific aims, this core will ensure that significantly and impactful research relevant to eliminating health disparities is conducted through NIH support of RHDR@MMC.

Grant Number: 5U54MD007586-39
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Samuel Adunyah