The Administrative and Mentoring Core will manage the administrative and fiscal aspects of the COBRE. The Core will also support mentoring of the four Junior Investigators and facilitate the transition of the aging- related Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program studies into a resource for aging research. This Core will also coordinate the day-to-day management of the Kuakini Medical Center (Kuakini) COBRE-Center for Translational Research on Aging (Kuakini COBRE-CTRA). The Administrative and Mentoring Core will develop a strong mentoring plan that will involve the participation of the External Advisory Committee (EAC) and a Pilot Project Program to encourage the expansion of aging-related investigations. The Administrative and Mentoring Core will coordinate all resources required to mentor four Junior Investigators and to support the creation of a multi-faceted research center that includes a strong component of translational research. The overall goal of this Core is to build an aging research center that will improve current and future research competitiveness, and diversify the research breadth and trans-disciplinary scope, of aging research in Hawaii. This will be accomplished through the following specific aims:
Specific Aim 1 : Provide administrative and fiscal support for the Kuakini COBRE-CTRA. The Administrative & Mentoring Core will be directed by Dr. Bradley Willcox, the PI of the Kuakini COBRE- CTRA. He will be assisted by the Deputy Director as well as the Associate Directors of the Clinical Translational Core. He will also be advised by three current COBRE PIs who have substantial experience in COBRE administration (Internal Advisory Committee). The EAC will play both advisory and assessment roles for the COBRE. A major goal of the Administrative and Mentoring Core will be to coordinate the resources supported by the Kuakini COBRE-CTRA, including the support for Junior Investigators, EAC, mentors, visiting scientists, and shared cohort resources, for optimizing interdisciplinary translational research on aging in Hawaii.
Specific Aim 2 : Manage and coordinate an individual mentoring plan for each Junior Investigator. The Administrative & Mentoring Core will develop a detailed mentoring plan for the four Junior Investigators that addresses the challenge of mentoring junior faculty in our remote location. The primary element of the mentoring plan is the Mentoring Team for each Junior Investigator. This includes a local primary mentor who is knowledgeable in the project , at least one other external mentor with substantial complementary expertise, as well as the COBRE PI, Deputy Director, and Associate Directors. It will be the role of the Administrative and Mentoring Core to coordinate relevant aspects of the COBRE for the focused benefit of the Junior Investigators.
Specific Aim 3 : Establish a Pilot Project Opportunity that will stimulate and provide extramural funding of high quality research proposals on aging. The purpose of the Pilot Project Opportunity is primarily to support early stage researchers to help them generate preliminary data for aging-related grant applications. Secondarily, we will provide support to more established researchers who require modest additional assistance to bring a submitted grant to successful funding or to obtain pilot data for aging-related research. For this aim, we will create a rigorous and fair review process to select the most exciting research proposals and the candidates most likely to succeed.
