The Administrative Core (ADM) of this new University of Rochester (UR) IDDRC application serves as the main coordination hub of a fully integrated system of four scientific cores that support the crucial work of 105 UR-IDDRC investigators currently prosecuting 202 basic, translational and clinical research projects in the domain of IDD research. These cores are: Human Phenotyping & Recruitment (HPR); Translational Neuroimaging & Neurophysiology (TNN); Cell & Molecular Imaging (CMI); and Animal Behavior and Neurophysiology (ABN). The ADM Core brings together two international leaders in the field of IDD research, Professors John Foxe and Jonathan Mink, both with a wealth of complementary leadership experience, to coordinate and prosecute this effort. In consultation with the UR-IDDRC community, they have formulated a clear and progressive mission of excellence in IDD research, one that places the people we serve, those with an IDD, at the heart of our Center, and one that promotes equity, inclusion, diversity, and cultural/linguistic competence. The ADM leadership has identified five thematic research clusters that serve to coalesce our portfolio into a coherent well-articulated IDD program, and around which we will build our future. These are: (1) Rare & Orphaned Diseases of Neurodevelopment; (2) Parental Stress & Early Life Exposure as Determinants of Brain Development; (3) Neuroinflammatory Mechanisms in Pathological Brain Development; (4) Autism Spectrum Disorder; and (5) Multisensory & Sensorimotor Integration. The ADM coordinates a substantial pilot grant program, supported through extensive philanthropic efforts and substantial University support, distributing $400,000 per annum in a highly competitive program designed to promote high-risk high- return IDD projects. We have set in place an innovative system of educational activities for pre- and post- doctoral trainees, and a substantial dissemination effort that includes multiple online social media outlets (with closed captioning in Spanish, and ASL translators at live events), an effort that has been specifically designed to be consumable by the public. The ADM coordinates a major data archiving and sharing effort across the Cores, interfacing with the UR CTSI and leveraging our state-of-the-art Bio-Lab Informatics System (BLIS). The Core has established reportage and systematic assessments that continuously scrutinize and evaluate the functioning of the center, ensuring that efficiency and cost-effectiveness are maintained at the highest levels and that the Cores evolve to be fully responsive to changes in technology and systems. The ADM is supported by five key advisory committees that provide crucial input regarding ongoing functioning of the center. These are: (a) The Executive Committee; (b) The External Advisory Board; (c) The Parent and Community Advisory Board; (d) The Internal Advisory Board; and (e) The Core Facilities Management Committee. We stand committed to a clear-eyed purpose, that through our science, we will endeavor each and every day to remove impediments facing people with IDD that prevent them from living the healthiest, most fulfilling lives possible.
