AdministrationAdministrative StructureThe administrative activities of the Core Center for Balance and Hearing Research will be performedprimarily by the Core Director, Dr. Furman. Dr. Furman, the Core Director has extensive administrativeexperience both as the Director of the Division of Balance Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh MedicalCenter, the Principal Investigator of our existing Core Center, and the Principal Investigator of a previouslyfunded NIDCD Program Project Grant. Dr. Furman and all of the Core Investigators except Dr. Kandler have ahistory of collaboration and have established a strong working relationship. Dr. Furman and Dr. Kandler haveknown one another for more than five years as fellow faculty members at the University of Pittsburgh and haveworked together recently in the development of this proposal. The Core investigators will meet as a groupquarterly to discuss resource allocation and mutual computing technology concerns. In addition, Dr. Furmanwill meet with the scientific programmer, Christopher Bryant, weekly to discuss prioritization. This process hasalready been shown to be successful as Mr. Bryant has been supported by the existing Core Center and hasprovided computing services to the Core investigators on an as-needed basis. Dr. Furman, in discussion withthe Core investigators and Mr. Bryant, has successfully allocated the scientific programmer's time. Theaddition of Dr. Kandler's laboratory to our group will increase the burden on Mr. Bryant's time. However, we donot expect this additional burden to be problematic. Each of the Core investigators recognizes that access toMr. Bryant is a shared resource that is meant to enhance the research activities of the group overall.An obvious source of concern regarding the administration of the Core Center is that Dr. Furman is boththe Core Director and one of the Core investigators. Thus, the Administrative Structure of the proposed CoreCenter includes an Oversight Committee that will consist of Dr. Jennifer Grandis, Vice-Chair, Research,Department of Otolaryngology, Dr. Margaretha Casselbrant, Chief, Divison of Pediatric Otolaryngology, and Dr.Robert Hendricks, PI of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Ophthalmology NEI-funded Core Center.The Oversight Committee will review the yearly progress reports of the Core Center and will be responsible forassisting Dr. Furman with issues concerning resource allocation.The activities of the Computing Core are likely to include the writing of software for data acquisition, theprovision of advice and assistance regarding hardware interfacing, and software for data analysis. We expectthat services provided to one investigator are very likely to be of interest to several other Core investigators.To facilitate the sharing of technological solutions to common problems and to foster collaborative research,the Core investigators will meet quarterly to discuss activities of the Computing Core. At these meetings, Mr.Bryant will report on his work for the preceding three months in an open forum with the Core investigators andtheir staff and trainees in attendance. Immediately following these meetings, the investigators will privatelydiscuss issues of resource allocation for the prior and succeeding three months. These meetings will also beused to discuss possibilities for encouraging collaborative research among the Core investigators and amongother scientists in Pittsburgh who have common research interests.
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