The Shared Core provides centralized services needed by investigators in the Charleston Alcohol Research Center (ARC). Since its inception, the Shared Core has been a valuable part of the ARC, achieving each of its goals. Over the years, the system has been refined to better meet the needs of a dynamic research environment. The Shared Core contains the Office of Statistics and Database Management, an expert statistical consulting service. It also houses the Centralized Intake Office, a centralized screening and recruitment service. The Shared Core contracts with specialized medical and pharmacy services, which are needed for clinical trials, and provides standardized training for both basic science and clinical research assistants. By centralizing these services, several important benefits are realized. First, the Shared Core provides needed expertise in specialized areas. Second, it affords a more efficient and standardized research environment, as it prevents the duplication of effort by individual research groups. Third, the Shared Core provides time- and cost-savings for all research studies that utilize the services. Additionally, it oversees contracts with specialty services and advertising that allow each project to receive goods/services at a fraction of the normal purchase price. Finally, the Shared Core system provides a central authority for quality control over provision and utilization of services and ensures that its services meet the needs of the most number of studies. It provides at least two services to each component and pilot project in the ARC, and provides support to other NIAAA-funded studies as well. The Shared Core is a consistent and valued part of the Charleston Alcohol Research Center, providing ARC investigators and other alcohol researchers the support they need to conduct their research efficiently and to meet their research goals.
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