Center for Family and Demographic Research

Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green OH

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Center for Family and Demographic Research (CFDR) at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is responding to RFA HD-09-004 for the R24 Population Research Infrastructure Program. The CFDR is requesting a second round of R24 funding to support a center that receives strong institutional support and generates innovative and interdisciplinary research on the health and well-being of children, adolescents, and families. The CFDR consists of a highly energized and active group of researchers from a variety of fields and disciplines who are integrating demography with broad social scientific perspectives to identify mechanisms underlying demographic events and trends. CFDR affiliates are generating high quality cutting- edge research in four broad signature areas: families and households;adolescent development and emerging adulthood;crime and violence in context;and health and well-being. The CFDR is growing and gaining momentum from recruiting and retaining talented researchers and successfully competing for major federal grants and contracts. A second round of R24 funding will enable the CFDR to continue providing the scientific leadership, administrative support, and intellectual community required to spur the creativity and productivity of an already outstanding group of researchers. The future goals of the CFDR are to advance scientific knowledge on how social contexts influence children, adolescents, and families and to pioneer new approaches to the collection of innovative data. To achieve these goals, the CFDR is requesting funds for three Research Support Cores (Administrative Core, Computing Core, and Data and Information Core) and a Faculty Development Core. Together, these cores create opportunities for intellectual exchange through working groups, seminar series, and annual symposia;enhance faculty development and research productivity through workshops, training awards, and seed grants;and provide the practical assistance required to conduct and disseminate research and to successfully submit and administer grants. A new feature of the CFDR infrastructure supports efforts on the part of affiliates to collect pilot data. The CFDR is able to assure cost-efficiency through cost-sharing from BGSU. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: CFDR research aligns with the current NICHD Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch (DBSB) research domains, including the causes and consequences of population health. Our research is additionally consistent with the future directions of the DBSB, including how and why families are changing, the emergence of health disparities in early life, and youth risks of HIV/sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. Much of the research conducted under our auspices focuses on high-risk populations.