Research Project
10090776
ABSTRACT The Administrative Core of the COBRE for stress, trauma, and resilience (STAR) will develop, support, and guide the center by providing scientific leadership, administrative support, and scientific and career development activities to ensure the success of the junior investigators and build a transdisciplinary center to advance our understanding of mechanisms of risk and avenues for intervention for stress, trauma, and adversity. The STAR COBRE will establish a leadership team who will be responsible for oversight and communication of STAR COBRE activities to ensure success and sustainability of the Center. The Administrative Core will be led by Director Dr. Stroud, an accomplished leader with expertise in the neurobiological and behavioral markers of risk and resilience in the fetal/infant and adolescent/pubertal transitions, and a long history of successful mentorship. Deputy Director Dr. Tyrka is an academic psychiatrist with expertise in childhood adversity and the molecular and behavioral underpinnings of risk in both children and adults, and many years of successful research mentoring and leadership experience including as PI of an R25 research training program. An Executive Committee of NIH-funded investigators with an outstanding track record of leadership, mentorship, and research accomplishments in the domain of stress, trauma, and resilience will guide the Center. An Internal Advisory Committee (IAC), External Advisory Committee (EAC), and Community Advisory Board (CAB) will provide advice and ongoing feedback on the overall COBRE, the individual projects, and the efforts towards Center sustainability. A state-of-the-art Mentoring and Educational Program, including an intensive R01 grant writing seminar and workshop, will support the career development of junior investigators and ensure successful transition to R01-level funding. The mentoring program features both an expert STAR mentor and another complementary NIH-funded mentor for each Project Leader (PL), and will be guided by formal individual development plans and mentor-mentee compacts. Recruitment of a new ?rising star? faculty member from an under-represented racial and/or ethnic group and a Pilot Project (PP) program, funded by The Miriam Hospital, are focused on increasing diversity and expanding the cadre of junior investigators poised to conduct transformational research focused on stress, trauma, and resilience. An evaluation and quality improvement program will utilize quantitative and qualitative approaches to formative and summative evaluations of the overall program, the effectiveness and utilization of the Cores, the Committees, the Mentorship and Educational Program, and PL research and career development progress, as well as the COBRE?s capacity to become a self-sustaining local resource and leading national center on stress, trauma, and resilience.
