UAB Childhood Cystic Kidney Disease Center (UAB-CCKDC) - Administrative Core

University Of Alabama At Birmingham, Birmingham AL

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY (ADMINISTRATIVE CORE): The objective of the Childhood Cystic Kidney Disease Center (CCKDC) is to advance research into the causes and possible treatments for cystic kidney disorders. The CCKDC will serve as a central hub for innovation and resource development and sharing working in partnership with the PKD RRC Steering Committee, NIDDK, and the other Centers in the Consortium. The CCKDC consists of an Administrative Core (Admin Core), Childhood Clinical and Translational Resource (CCTR), a Bioengineering Resource (BR), an Informatics and Data Analytics Resource (IDAR), and a Resource Development Core (RDC). The Administrative Core (Admin Core) functions as the organizing and oversight unit for the CCKDC. It will establish the Center’s overall framework and conduct an annual performance assessment of the Center’s impact with our Internal Advisory Board. A major function of the Admin Core is to ensure that our collective effort, resource development plans, training and education programs, and our scientific expertise all align with the objectives, priorities, and mission of the Consortium. The Admin Core will provide logistic, administrative, financial, and scientific oversight for each core in the CCKDC, freeing the Directors to focus on resource development and service. The Admin Core will ensure coordination and communication between the CCKDC and the PKD RRC, promote the development and distribution of new, quality-controlled resources, and oversee the Center’s training and educational activities. The Admin Core will ensure active participation of CCKDC members in the PKD RRC programs and subcommittees, including taking on leadership roles if requested. The Admin Core will direct the use of substantial institutional support to the Center that will amplify the overall impact that the CCKDC has on PKD research, training, and the PKD RRC. The Admin Core will promote an collaborative scientific environment and work in collaboration with several other programs at UAB to oversee undergraduate research summer internship programs, organize workshops, training and educational activities, and co-host the annual Renal Symposium on AKI and PKD with the UAB/UCSD O’Brien Center. The Admin Core is working jointly with the Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology (CDIB), the Division of Nephrology, and several other Centers at UAB to bring new talent into the field and expand PKD research and workforce by recruiting up to 5 junior faculty members with emerging and innovative research programs focused on PKD and other renal ciliopathy disorders. Through these recruitments, the Admin Core will strengthen the overall PKD research environment at UAB and bring new and innovative ideas, approaches, and tools into the Consortium. Overall, the efforts the Admin Core will ensure that the CCKDC continues to be a highly impactful and influential component of the Consortium supporting the entire PKD research community as we work toward a common goal of better treatment strategies for patients with PKD.