BEAMS ABSTRACT: Core A The Binational Early Asthma and Microbiome Study (BEAMS) Program Project is designed to investigate the role of prenatal and early life microbial exposures on risk for asthma-related outcomes in children born in Tucson, Arizona and in Nogales, Mexico. Accomplishing this binational research agenda requires an infrastructure that will effectively administer the grant, coordinate all efforts, foster communication and assist with dissemination of information. The goal of the Administrative Core (Core A) is to provide a central resource for administering the BEAMS Program Project by implementing a management structure that will allow investigators from all projects and cores to focus on the scientific effort. Core A will provide high level coordination of transdisciplinary scientific groups to ensure BEAMS program synergy and will assist with the organizational needs of all BEAMS components to assure that critical program milestones are met.
The specific aims of the Administrative Core are to: 1) Manage the day-to-day administrative details and programmatic needs of the BEAMS program by providing fiscal management, administering subcontracts, assuring that regulatory requirements in the US and Mexico are met, and monitoring of progress with program objectives; 2) Create an infrastructure to facilitate communication between the projects, cores and investigators, and of the Program Directors (PD) with NIH, and provide for conflict resolution should it be necessary; and 3) Assist with dissemination of research findings in a timely fashion to the scientific community, both locally and nationally, and provide information to the public, including study participants. To these tasks, the Core A project management staff brings decades of experience in successful organization and management of complex multi-component projects under the direction of Dr. Fernando Martinez, the Core Director. For Project 1 and Core B, the Administrative Core will facilitate activities related to the initiation of the birth cohort, including travel of investigators, scheduling of meetings with the binational team, training of research staff and assuring that regulatory requirements are met for transport of specimens across the border and binational human subjects research. For Project 2, Core A will facilitate coordination of subcontracts and meetings with the investigators at UCSF. For Project 3, Core A will assure all university regulations pertaining to research with animals are met. It will also provide administrative support for data management and analysis in Core D with its personnel from different units and institutions. Finally, Core A will maintain contact with members of the Advisory Board and organize the Board?s annual meetings. Through these efforts, Core A will create and maintain the administrative infrastructure to ensure successful completion of this transdisciplinary, binational program.
