Administrative Core

The Administrative Core is the nucleus of the IDDRC, providing scientific, administrative, and fiscal leadership,
and high quality, cost-effective core services, in a strongly collaborative spirit. The core functions to create a
highly visible and comprehensive center that systematically integrates all aspects of research, training, clinical
services, and outreach in the field of IDD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and serves as the liaison to
the NIH, and national and international organizations. Chang and the previous director, Messing, have raised
considerable private funds for improvement of IDDRC physical facilities, purchase of scientific equipment for
IDDRC cores, program development, and recruitment and retention of investigators. Specific Aim 1 is to develop
new and coordinate existing scientific resources to strategically support the research of IDDRC investigators.
IDDRC core resources and services have been designed to complement UW-Madison resources to enhance
the scientific work involving all phases of the translational research cycle, from basic discovery to clinical
application. The Administrative Core’s leadership team (Executive Committee) gathers information about
research needs from surveys of investigators as well as from each core’s user advisory committee, internal and
external advisory committees, consultants, and visiting scientists. To obtain additional resources, the
Administrative Core works closely with UW-Madison administration including the Office of the Vice Chancellor
for Research and Graduate Education, academic deans, department chairs, center directors, and directors of
other relevant research units. Specific Aim 2 is to promote interdisciplinary and collaborative research in high
priority areas of IDD. This includes provision of start-up funds to attract faculty to the Waisman Center, allocation
of support for special interest groups that involve IDDRC faculty from multiple disciplines who share a common
area of focus (e.g., Down syndrome, genome editing in human pluripotent stem cells, functional genomics),
provision of seed money support for groups of investigators who seek to develop multi-component grant
applications for interdisciplinary IDD research (e.g. our signature research project), funding for speakers in the
John Wiley Seminar Series, and most importantly the creation of an environment of mutual respect for diverse
disciplinary approaches to studying IDD conditions. Ultimately, the Administrative Core of the Waisman Center
IDDRC seeks to create a nexus where multiple angles of vision are focused on a shared commitment to
understanding the causes and consequences of, and discovering treatments for IDD conditions. Specific Aim
3 is to further connect research and clinical activities and strengthen community partnerships for efficient
dissemination of knowledge and best practices to improve the lives of individuals and families affected by IDD.
The Administrative Core not only facilitates interactions between research and clinical activities within the Center,
but also works to engage individuals and families affected by IDD throughout the UW health care system and in
community settings such as the public schools. The Core nurtures and maintains the relationships with key
campus partners, with the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, with All of Us, and with state partners such
as the Department of Health Services. The core develops and maintains close connections with parent and
patient groups as wells as agencies and organization active in the field of IDD.

Grant Number: 5P50HD105353-05
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Qiang Chang