The Administrative Core connects the tribe and its research intensive partners, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) through jointly executed management procedures that help ensure the successful completion of the specific projects and the overall success of the Cherokee NARCH program. Its structure includes a Leadership Team, which is composed of tribal and academic representatives, that manages global program functions through innovative shared decision- making processes, including the receipt of recurring input from a Community-Campus Advisory Council, composed of tribal healthcare leaders, academicians, and Cherokee community members. The Leadership Team also uses specific processes for the management of the individual pilot research, research, student enhancement, and research enhancement projects to ensure that project milestones are met. The Administrative Core follows four specific aims in performing this work: 1) implementing a framework using shared decision-making and community input for prioritizing research and career enhancement projects to advance American Indian health; 2) supporting a diverse portfolio of interdisciplinary research and pilot research projects to improve the health of the Cherokee Nation; 3) supporting high-quality enhancement experiences for students and promising early-stage researchers with an emphasis on mentorship toward careers in tribally engaged health research; and 4) implementing a rigorous evaluation process to ensure continuous quality improvement and sustainability of Cherokee NARCH research and training activities. These management functions will help the Cherokee NARCH program build upon the strengths of the tribe in combating health disparities affecting Cherokee citizens as well as American Indians from an array of tribes in northeast Oklahoma that are served by the Cherokee Nation healthcare system.
