Core A coordinates the resources and facilities necessary for attaining the scientific mission of the Conte Center. It has four complementary functions: 1. Administrative Coordination to investigators, trainees and personnel includes implementation of NIH, University and IRB guidelines, allocation of resources, progress reports, review new initiatives, provide liaison with University and Community, establish policies. 2. Academic Coordination among investigators, trainees and personnel includes communication, integration of educational activities, liaison with neuroscience programs, recruitment of qualified trainees. The Conte Center will maintain a comprehensive outreach program to the community that contributes to dissemination of information regarding basic and clinical neuroscience research in schizophrenia through speakers in local, regional and national meetings and in an open-house format, inviting the public to Penn. With Core B and Projects, this Core coordinates the Center's website, ensure access to data, research tools and biological material generated by the Center, and facilitate interaction with the Advisory Board. 3. Recruitment and Assessment for human Projects (I, IV,V). Standardized procedures are applied to youths with schizophrenia, psychosis- prone and healthy people. This includes evaluation of medical, neurological and psychiatric status, computerized neurocognitive measures and genotyping. The Core provides systematic assessment of clinical history and presentation of individuals whose brains are donated for postmortem research in Projects IV and V and coordinates data transfer to Data and Biostatistics Core (Core B) and Projects (l,IV,V). Core A maintains a registry for future studies and integrative projects, and provide training in clinical neuroscience in the Center and collaborating programs. 4. Allocation of participants to animal projects provides coordination of the protocols, tracking with the Core B the flow of participants across Projects II, III and IV and works closely with investigators and research personnel in the animal projects to ensure that the scientific goals are met. This is done in parallel to the human studies maintaining high level of integration across the Center.
The administrative infrastructure and services provided by this Core are essential for achieving the mission of the Conte Center. The Core will ensure proper allocation of resources to maximize efficiency and enabling progress towards our scientific aims. It will also provide a hub of educational training at all levels and be a resource to the community by promoting outreach programs.
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