Many of the outstanding problems in human health are unsolved because they involve complex processes. Despite remarkable advances in technology, the solutions will not be found by data alone. To seek solutions, we built a core centered on modeling. A good model gives insight into how a process works and, more importantly, how the process can be manipulated to promote human health. Modeling can serve as a common language to link disparate research areas; it improves research at every stage, from hypothesis formulation through analysis. Ultimately, modeling creates a positive feedback loop with empirical approaches, deepening scientific exploration and discovery. During Phase I, we established the Modeling Core centered on a group of Core Fellows: postdocs with diverse modeling expertise. Our Core is unique. In contrast to many other centers that focus on a single biomedical problem, we apply modeling to many biomedical problems and, for each of these, can bring multiple types of modeling to bear. Our Core is agile. We can modify our expertise based on the needs of the Center and of the community. Our Core is catalytic. We have shaped interdisciplinary research in tangible ways: providing modeling expertise to empiricists, growing areas of modeling with high impact, and increasing the number of collaborative proposals and publications. Building on this upward trajectory, our overarching goal is to enhance biomedical discovery across the University and the State by integrating modeling into research via three aims. (1) Support individual Research Projects by engaging in integrative modeling. We achieve this by ensuring that each project has significant effort from a Fellow, and through our Core Initiative on machine learning that will benefit the projects directly. (2) Extend the Modeling Core into emerging research directions. The purpose of this aim is to anticipate and respond to the modeling needs of the research community. This will be accomplished by hiring Fellows in new areas of modeling, by giving current Fellows development opportunities, and by establishing two new Core Initiatives, one in machine learning and one in geospatial modeling. (3) Expand the impact of the Modeling Core across the University and State by recruiting more researchers in additional fields. The purpose of this aim is to grow the number of participants to support the long-term sustainability of the Core and the Center. This will be accomplished primarily by embedding Core Fellows in interdisciplinary teams, as well as by offering Modeling Access Grants and training workshops. Completion of these aims will lead to a stronger Core that supports modeling efforts and improves biomedical research in Idaho. This will move us closer to our long-term goal of building a sustainable Center.
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