The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is establishing an infrastructure, the Children's Health Exposure Analysis Resource (CHEAR), to provide the extramural research community access to laboratory and statistical analyses to add or expand the inclusion of environmental exposures in their research. CHEAR will be composed of three components: a Coordinating Center (CC), a National Exposure Assessment Laboratory Network, and an Exposure Data Repository and Resource for Statistical Analysis and Methods Development. This project will implement the CC for CHEAR. CHEAR will provide a range of sophisticated laboratory analyses and data services to the exposure science and children's health research community. The main goal of the CC is to provide researchers with a convenient and unified interface to access the available services of this complex network. The CC will create and maintain a comprehensive index of CHEAR laboratory and data services, methodologies, and expertise available to researchers; provide a public website as the primary means for researchers to access information about CHEAR's capabilities and initiate proposals to use CHEAR's resources; establish and manage processes for proposal submission and evaluation; monitor the progress of approved proposals and track services workflow; define the quality standards by which the performance of CHEAR will be measured; support the standardization of laboratory analyses and processes; organize and support CHEAR oversight committees; establish and manage a Pilot and Feasibility Program; develop a strategic communication plan for CHEAR; identify external resources of interest to exposure science and children's health research; and leverage the CHEAR public website and social media to facilitate communication with the broader scientific community.

Public Health Relevance

This project will coordinate the activities of several institutions that will provide sophisticated laboratory and data analysis capabilities and are working together to advance our understanding of the effect of environmental exposures on children's health.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Type
Resource-Related Research Projects--Cooperative Agreements (U24)
Project #
1U24ES026539-01
Application #
9060558
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZES1-LKB-K (CC))
Program Officer
Balshaw, David M
Project Start
2015-09-30
Project End
2019-08-31
Budget Start
2015-09-30
Budget End
2019-08-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2015
Total Cost
$4,997,448
Indirect Cost
$2,347,106
Name
Westat, Inc.
Department
Type
DUNS #
049508120
City
Rockville
State
MD
Country
United States
Zip Code
20850