OPTI-MOM Administrative Core

Northwestern University At Chicago, Evanston IL

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

ABSTRACT - ADMINISTRATIVE CORE The OPTI-MOM Center will yield critical data to optimize SSRI antidepressant treatment of major depressive disorder in pregnant women. The goal of the OPRC Administrative Core is to function as the organizational and scientific hub of the Center. The Core is designed to support creative flexibility and transparency, with investigators, trainees and staff sharing in ownership of the scientific products. The Administrative Core will feature scientific leadership provides an infrastructure that fosters integration within the OPRC and in the broader translational community. The Core will promote operational efficiency, manage personnel and research processes, and stimulate an interdisciplinary community that encourages creativity. The Core Director, Dr. Katherine L. Wisner, the Normal and Helen Asher Professor of Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynecology, leads the Asher Center for the Study and Treatment of Depressive Disorders, which supports perinatal depression research, training, and clinical care. The Administrative Core Associate Director, Alfred George, MD is the Magerstadt Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology, and Director of the Center for Pharmacogenomics. The mentoring and career development of trainee scholars will be coordinated by obstetrician Catherine Stika, MD. Dr. Stika will oversee the integration of training programs across the OPRCs, which capitalizes on her longstanding interest in teaching pharmacology. The Directors and an experienced Program Administrator will construct a system for managing workflow, coordinating meetings, monitoring progress, identifying challenges and implementing and tracking solutions. Other functions include setting benchmarks and establishing progress metrics and reporting structures. The Program Administrator will organize educational activities, internal/external websites, secure document sharing, and manage communication. The team will prioritize resource commitments based on evolving needs, progress, and performance and reallocate funds as needed to ensure successful completion of OPTI- MOM goals. All meetings will feature pre-meeting agenda preparation with generation of minutes and action items with named personnel responsible for each action. The Administrative Team will maximize scientific productivity and interface with the other OPRCs, the central Logistic Coordinating Core, and Northwestern?s Office of Sponsored Research.