The prime objective of the Coordinating Core is to assure the integrated, coherent, and effective implementation of the HNRC. To perform its coordinating duties in an efficient and accountable manner, this Core has been organized as four interacting units. The Director's Office is responsible for allocation of the human, fiscal, and physical resources of the HNRC. The Director's Office coordinates the activities of the HNRC on a day-to-day basis and has specific responsibility for assuring effective communication among investigators and staff, monitoring of protocol implementation in accordance with the approved grant, maintenance of effective communications between the HNRC and other parts of the University, our community and the Agency, and providing close monitoring of individual and overall budgets and expenses. The Participant Unit is responsible for identification, recruitment, consenting, and follow-up of participants. The Participant Unit also coordinates and monitors human subjects affairs, and reports to the Director on participant issues. The Data Management Unit provides the conceptual framework, procedures, software and hardware tools, and quality control mechanisms required to manage a complex and interactive set of data. Specific functions of the DM Unit include tracking of data collection, ensuring that appropriate data are promptly entered into the centralized database, and assuring the quality of data with regular review of completeness and accuracy; general management of the central database, including design and implementation of the database and programs to access data; management and maintenance of all computer hardware/software; and maintaining security and confidentiality of both physical and computer records. The Statistics Unit consults with various projects on design and data analysis plans, consults with investigators on statistical modeling, assists investigators in reducing data to composite variables of interest in preparation for specific analyses, conducts advanced analyses of study data including longitudinal, logistic and survival analyses, with particular emphasis on cross-core and cross-project analyses and explores new statistical methods of analysis while answering the specific program related research questions. Beyond the above-described four units, this Core also coordinates the activities of critical working groups within the HNRC. These include the Council of Investigators, which sets policy and reviews scientific progress on a regular basis; the Data, Statistics, and Publication Committee, which reviews analyses and publications; the Confidentiality Committee, which monitors human subjects protection; the Participants' Advisory Board, which provides feedback from participants to the Director; the Community Advisory Board, which provides advice and feedback on the functioning of the HNRC in various communities; and an external Scientific Advisory Board which provides periodic independent review of our progress.
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