ADMINISTRATIVE CORE ABSTRACT In the United States, 70% of deaths annually can be attributed to chronic conditions. One of the most frequent and debilitating is pain, which can either occur as a symptom of chronic illness or as a primary problem. According to the recent Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on Relieving Pain in America (2011), chronic pain is a public health epidemic affecting more than 116 million Americans and costing more than $600 billion per year in healthcare expenses and lost work productivity?despite advances in pharmacological treatment, most people do not obtain adequate pain relief. Recently, various types of self-management strategies have been tested for chronic pain management, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), non-pharmacologic treatments (e.g., heat, cold, acupuncture, etc.) and physical activity. However, much like pharmacogenomic influences on individual response to drug treatment, self-management intervention trials have demonstrated mixed results in that some, but not all, study participants respond or participate. This could be due to many factors, including resilience, motivation and/or capability. Moreover, the omics mechanisms underlying the relative success or failure of self-management interventions on an individual level have been understudied. Guided by an adapted National Institutes of Health Symptom Science (NIHSS) model, we propose to develop the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Omics Associated with Self-management Interventions for Symptoms (OASIS) Center. The science of this Center will focus on our hypothesis that genomic, transcriptomic, epigenomic, and proteomic outcomes (hereafter referred to as ?omics?), mediated by psychosocial factors and sex differences and/or moderated by the environment, predict individual resilience, motivation, and capability to engage in and participate in self-management behaviors (physical activity) and response to interventions designed to improve chronic pain. The Administrative Core (AC) of the OASIS Center will provide the structure and fiscal resources necessary to ensure successful management of overall Center activities including the development, promotion, and fiscally responsible management of Center resources. We will accomplish this goal via the successful accomplishment of four specific aims including (1) Provide strategic oversight and coordination of all administrative functions of OASIS, including data sharing, review of funds utilization by the Cores and Pilot PIs to ensure that funds are appropriately expended, and development of effective and efficient communication plans to enhance collaboration, (2) Optimize and enhance Core resource utilization on the UMB campus, across the University of Maryland System (USM) and with external university partners, (3) Capitalize on new infrastructure supports provided by OASIS, internal and external collaborations, and successful completion of innovative, cutting edge pilot studies, to ensure long-term sustainability of the Center, and (4) Implement an evaluation plan that will ensure the successful achievement of the overall OASIS specific aims, as well as those associated with the Cores and Pilot studies.
