This is a competitive renewal application for the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD) in response to RFA-AA-07-004. It is a multidisciplinary project with several goals, one of which is to provide diagnostic criteria for the range of outcomes following prenatal alcohol exposure using physical, behavioral, and brain measures. Improved diagnosis includes empirically determining criteria for both the diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and other Alcohol Related Birth Defects (ARBD). Another goal is to test specific interventions and possible mechanisms for ethanol-induced damage with the hope of designing new, empirically based interventions. A third, general goal is to translate basic science findings to clinical investigations and practice, while also informing basic science projects of clinician needs. The CIFASD consists of three core resource projects (Administrative, Informatics, and Dysmorphology) and two major research components. The Basic Science and Clinical Components consist of four and five projects, respectively. The Administrative Core provides the organizational framework for the CIFASD and supports the Steering Committee of each component and the External Science Advisory Board in the management and review of the various projects. ? ? The Specific Aims of the Administrative Core are: ? ? 1. Provide scientific and administrative leadership and oversight, ensuring that CIFASD investigators adhere to its goals and mission, as well as assisting and coordinating interactions between the various projects. It functions as the main liaison to NIAAA regarding the CIFASD. ? ? 2. Facilitate communication between the various projects by maintaining the CIFASD web site, scheduling monthly conference calls, convening the biannual meetings of the Steering Committees, and preparing and distributing annual progress reports. ? ? 3. Provide assistance with data collection and distribution by working with the Informatics Core. Work with the Informatics Core to develop online interactive capacity among CIFASD investigators, and make most of these databases available to outside, interested scientists. ? ? 4. Assist the Science Advisory Board and the Steering Committees in their annual evaluations of progress for each of the projects and the two major components. In conjunction with the Steering Committees, it will establish annual priorities and deal with issues related to allocation of resources. ? ? 5. Administer the Developmental Projects of the CIFASD. ? ? ?
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