Administrative Core

University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

ADMINISTRATIVE CORE (AC): ABSTRACT The Administrative Core (AC) of the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET) is under the effective leadership of two seasoned investigators with endowed chairs: Trevor M. Penning, PhD (The Thelma Brown and Henry Charles Molinoff Professor of Pharmacology) and Sharon McGrath-Morrow, MBA, MD (The Robert Gerard Morse Endowed Chair in Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine). These directors enable translational environmental health research in adult and pediatric populations. Leaders of thematic areas in: Air Pollution & Lung Health, Environmental Exposures & Cancer, Windows-of-Susceptibility, and Environmental Neuroscience, join the leadership team and are of international repute, and promote team science within their areas and in the cross-cutting themes of exposomics and the effects of extreme weather on health. This leadership team ensures that the goals of the CEET strategic vision to elevate the environmental health identity of the Center at the institutional, regional, and national levels is achieved. The AC provides oversight of the Translational Research Support Core (TRSC), the Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Core (BMSC), and the Environmental Health Informatics Core (EHIC) so that they are responsive to investigator needs. The AC coordinates communication and interaction with the Community Engagement Core (CEC) to bring community concerns to the attention of thematic area leaders and the TRSC. Evaluation and decision making are overseen by the Internal Advisory Committee, the Executive Committee, the Directors Council, and the External Advisory Board, and by a periodic SWOT analysis. Compliance with the Data Management & Sharing Plan and the preparation of reports and fiscal management are supported by an experienced Director, Center Administrator, and Grants Manager. The AC recruits new faculty and brings its members together by organizing working groups, thematic area talks, research in progress talks for trainees, a seminar series, and annual symposia. The CEET is the hub for all Environmental Health Science training at Penn and the training mission is overseen by the AC. In this role, the AC uses a Career Development Program (CDP) to cultivate the careers of Early-Stage Investigators (ESI). Our CDP believes that environmental health science is unique since it spans interdisciplinary expertise ranging from exposure science, mechanistic toxicology, epidemiology, and translation to patients, communities, and policy makers. Environmental Health (EH) scientists are faced with “Big-Data”, and how to transform such data into knowledge requires familiarity with informatics tools and advances in machine learning and AI. Our CDP provides a transformative experience so that our ESI will be equipped with the tools for success as future EH scientists. The AC builds capacity by bringing senior investigators into the CEET who are addressing environmental health problems for the first time. In this manner, the AC is responsive to the current NIEHS strategic plan, which stresses stewardship of resources and building a pathway for professional development.