? This Exploratory Center for Obesity Research will address biomedical, public health, and policy aspects of the obesity epidemic. The social problem of obesity can only be solved using a transdisciplinary approach that blends biomedical research with broader social, economic, environmental, and policy concerns. The proposed """"""""Lab to Leadership"""""""" model will be built on sustained interactions among researchers, clinicians, public health professionals, local and state government agencies, policy makers, and communities at risk. To create such alliances, two sets of activities are proposed. The first will cross disciplines to bring diverse groups of stakeholders into new research teams; the second will align research projects with policy priorities and public health goals. In order to enrich and transform the research environment, the Exploratory Center will provide funding for activities that integrate biomedical and social sciences research with public policy. These will include commissioned papers, workshops, forums, and conferences. Each activity will have clear goals and objectives, and well-defined criteria for success. Funds will be provided for pilot/feasibility studies that actively promote cross-disciplinary thought by applying insights from laboratory and clinical research to environmental and policy studies - and vice versa. Leadership workshops, supported by the University Administration, will build faculty leadership, capacity, and skills. The second set of activities will prepare investigators to submit an application for a Center of Excellence for Obesity Research. Among these will be strategic planning with diverse stakeholders to develop a blueprint for the Center; the creation of networks and panels to assist local and State agencies with obesity projects in Washington State; and the creation of an ongoing forum for researchers, policy makers, and community groups to advance the mutual integration of research priorities with state-level policy objectives and community goals. The planning activities will start with a formative evaluation of the research environment and will be guided by a rigorous evaluation component. The planning process will itself be the object of evaluation and study. The existing research base at the University of Washington; the commitment of local and state agencies, Public Health-Seattle & King County and the Washington State Department of Health, to furthering public health agenda, and the administrative experience of the Center for Public Health Nutrition make a compelling argument for why the new integrative approach ought to be nurtured here. By promoting interagency collaborations, these efforts will help the NIH develop a roadmap on how to effectively translate research findings into national, state, and local health policy. ? ?
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