The University of Kentucky (UK) Center for Cancer and Metabolism (CCM) will be established as a unique multidisciplinary Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) designed to develop and deploy a strategically designed, sustainable center infrastructure that cultivates cutting-edge research focused on the role of metabolic dysregulation in cancer development and progression. The Administrative Core provides critical scientific and administrative leadership to advance the goals of the CCM: to develop and sustain a thematically focused multidisciplinary center infrastructure dedicated to defining the role of metabolism in the development and treatment of cancer and to use this novel platform to develop promising early-stage investigators with enhanced skills in an exciting new area of cancer research. The goal of the Administrative Core is to enhance the scientific productivity of the center's faculty by delivering efficient administrative services across scientific projects and cores as well as pilot projects through an organizational/leadership framework that supports flexible team-based mentoring and provides for clear accountability. Thus, the CCM Administrative Core is the central coordinating hub responsible for integrating highly complementary disciplinary strengths at UK in cancer, metabolism, and data sciences and leveraging sophisticated metabolomics tools and advanced cancer imaging capabilities. The core has primary responsibility for realizing the CCM's scientific vision, operating on principles grounded in transformational leadership and shared administrative oversight. Administrative Core functions will be operationalized through the following three specific aims: 1) to provide coordinated operational management of the center; 2) to facilitate and coordinate research training, mentoring and career development activities to develop early-stage investigators in cancer and metabolism and expand research in this area through pilot projects; and 3) to coordinate and conduct overall planning and evaluation. The core will coordinate and implement all administrative activities of the CCM: oversee daily center activities; coordinate program communications, fiscal processes, meeting organization, and advisory committee input; facilitate and expedite interactions among projects and cores; manage the pilot project program; and lead program and project evaluation efforts. The core will oversee a total of four current projects, two cores, and a biostatistics and bioinformatics support component and ensure highly effective, well-planned team-based mentorship, including basic and clinical perspectives and external expertise, for all early-stage investigators.
