The National Resource for Quantitative Funtional MRI has an Administrative Core that coordinates all BTRC activities, i.e. the development and dissemination of new MRI and MRS methodology for the assessment of the changing brain, as well as the training in its use. The PI of this core is Dr. Peter van Zijl, an experienced expert in MRI and MRS technology development, who has a longstanding experience in managing multi-center collaborations. Daily operation of the BTRC is the responsibility of Dr. van Zijl in close interaction with members of the Executive Committee, which consists of the PIs of the four technical research and development (TR&D) projects. The full committee meets bimonthly or whenever necessary. The TR&D PIs are all in close proximity and meet/interact closely at least on a weekly basis. The general goals of the Resource are formulated by this Executive Committee with guidance from the internal and external advisory committees. The main goal is to create an environment that allows method development through the push-pull interaction between the physicists and engineers of the TR&Ds and the application scientists and clinicians heading the collaborative projects. In addition, the BTRC supports many service projects as test beds of the methodology in important areas of application. The committee also assures that technology is further disseminated through presentations, training courses, and software and data transfer to interested sites (See Training and Dissemination Section). The Resource has carefully designed operating procedures to establish the above-mentioned collaborative and service projects and for the management of the facilities in terms of humans and animal safety and equitable access to the scanners and facilities. Plans for long-term maintenance of the facility assure that the BTRC can function successfully. The progress of the BTRC is overseen by an External Advisory Committee (EAC) consisting of experts in the fields for our TR&Ds. This committee meets annually to advise on scientific progress and on the progress of the center in terms of its goals of collaboration, service, training and dissemination. A yearly report is submitted to NIBIB as part of the annual progress report. In addition to the EAC, we have several local committees that provide oversight, including a protocol review committee that evaluates all research projects in terms of human safety and research quality. The BTRC has strong institutional support, as outlined in letters by the president of KKI and the Chairman of radiology at Johns Hopkins University. Our resource enters its final 5-year period as stipulated by the sunset policy of the NIBIB. We propose a transition strategy to continue our successful development of technology facilitated through multi-disciplinary collaboration.
The National Resource for Quantitative Funtional MRI is governed by an Administrative Core that coordinates all its activities, including the development and dissemination of new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) methodology for the assessment of the changing brain, as well as the training in its use. The progress of the Resource is overseen by an External Advisory Committee consisting of experts in the MR field. There also are several local committees that provide oversight, including a protocol review committee that evaluates all research projects in terms of human safety and research quality.
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