Detailed program planning and rigorous evaluation have been, and will continue to be, critical for the ongoing development of the research infrastructure supporting the U54 South Carolina Cancer Disparities Research Center (SC CADRE). SC CADRE leadership will rely on multiple feedback mechanisms from both external and internal advisors. The SC CADRE Program Steering Committee will be the primary external mechanism for annual review and advice on SC CADRE's progress in research, research education, and outreach and includes nationally recognized scientific and community leaders. An Internal Scientific Advisory Committee will convene quarterly and will include the Core Co-leads from specific SC CADRE components as well as the South Carolina State University (SCSU) and Medical University of South Carolina Hollings Cancer Center (MUSC-HCC) institutional leaders and officials. The composition of the Internal Scientific Advisory Committee will ensure the leveraging of resources and the congruence of priorities and goals across this inter-institutional partnership. Dr. William Whitaker, Jr. (SCSU) and Dr. Chanita Hughes-Halbert (MUSC-HCC) will Co-Lead this Core and provide oversight for the selection, review, and monitoring processes for the initial Full Research Project and the two Pilot Research Projects included in this application as well as future SC CADRE-supported research projects. Dr. Kathleen Cartmell (MUSC-HCC) will provide additional leadership by ensuring that the planning and evaluation logic model established by the SC CADRE leadership is implemented and documented at each level of SC CADRE. Collectively, these planning and evaluation components have been designed to accomplish the following aims: (1) assess SC CADRE's administrative and leadership effectiveness as well as the levels of inter-institutional and community engagement through science and dissemination activities; (2) track the progress of the research projects and core activities; (3) monitor the relationships between aims, activities, outputs, and expected outcomes; and (4) synthesize these evaluation activities to inform Center-wide strategic planning and priority setting that will in turn inform future directions for each SC CADRE component.
