Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center

American Federation For Aging Research, New York NY

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

This renewal application seeks to build on the existing Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center (NSC3) infrastructure to further increase and improve the visibility of the Nathan Shock Centers (NSCs), facilitate collaboration and coordination among the NSCs, enhance NSC training activities, provide support to NSCs to facilitate compliance with NIH data sharing and clinical research policies, enhanced tracking of pilot grantees and other activities, and help share resources and facilitate interactions between relevant NIA staff and the NSCs. The overall goal is to continue and enhance the activities of the NSC3, by maintaining and building on a system of coordination and communication between the NSCs, NIA, and the biology of aging research communities that maximizes their respective strengths and supports integrated scientific research approaches that contribute to our understanding of the biology of aging. We propose innovations across all aims, including a 2-day NSC annual meeting, robust tracking of pilot applications, career progress, and publications, launch of collaborative pilot program, career development activities, an Annual Report and more. Because of the expanded responsibilities, complexity and specific expertise required by the RFA, the current NSC3 will be reorganized to manage its expanded and multi-faceted mission. The reorganization divides responsibilities to make lines of responsibility clear, hence maintain effectiveness of the NSC3’s goals. There will now be an Executive Committee, which, with guidance from a Steering Committee, will provide leadership to the NSC3. There will also be an Administrative Hub as well as three interacting activity Cores: Data Core, Access, Career Development and Education Core, and a Communications and Dissemination Core that will implement and coordinate all NSC aims: 1: Provide logistical support to the NSCs and NIA through an organizational and management infrastructure that will foster networking, scientific exchange, resource sharing and collaborations across the NSCs and the field; 2: Grow a diverse workforce in the biology of aging by providing mentoring, career development, educational support and resources particularly for early career investigators and investigators new to the field; 3: Disseminate NSC research findings and expand information on resources in the biology of aging and related fields, and serve as a forum of scientific exchange among NSC investigators across sites as well as other NIA- and NIH-funded, federal and privately funded initiatives promoting aging biology training and/or research; 4: Work with the NSCs directors to develop, distribute, and implement a shared state-of-the art approach and commitment to the renewed NIH emphasis on rigor, reproducibility and transparency (RRT) in pre-clinical studies by (a) making data and code sharing the norm in basic aging research; and (b) evaluating the state of science and making best practices more accessible to the community; and 5: To develop and implement strategies for assessing the effectiveness of the NSCs and NSC3 and use this information to guide future directions and report outcomes to stakeholders.