Core A: Administrative Core ? Lakota Center for Health Research Specific Aims This Lakota Center for Health Research program project renewal application is organized into an Administrative Core two research projects. Jeffrey A. Henderson, M.D., M.P.H., President and CEO, BHCAIH, will continue to serve as Principal Investigator/Program Director and will head the Administrative Core. Dr. Henderson, an internist and epidemiologist, is American Indian (Lakota Sioux) and is nationally recognized for his research and leadership in areas directly relevant to all aspects of this application, particularly research focused on American Indians and Alaska Natives conducted through large program project initiatives. In preparation for this NARCH IX application, Dr. Henderson had conversations with the tribal health administrators and tribal health committee chairs of all 3 tribal partners. They were disappointed to learn that the new funding cap for the Admin Core function was so low as to preclude hiring a local NARCH field coordinator for each tribal partner, as we?d proposed to do with our NARCH VIII application. Thus, we include plans to hire reservation-based staff through the research projects, and will look to leverage technology to foreshorten the physical distances between us. With this in mind, the Specific Aims (with Objectives) of this NARCH IX Administrative Core are to 1) Support the logistical operations of the Lakota Center for Health Research, including a) Continue to develop and monitor adherence to standard personnel policies and procedures that follow BHCAIH, tribal, and Federal guidelines; b) Revise our annual review of personnel performance and recommend corresponding levels of compensation; c) Maintain the integration of fiscal procedures across Core component activities and projects; d) Supervise fiscal aspects of career development and research efforts and provide detailed budgetary information to Core leaders and staff; e) Prepare and disseminate Core component program materials; f) Explore use of technological approaches that can figuratively shorten the distance between us (e.g., VoIP telephony, Skype/WebEx/Adobe Connect, cloud-based NARCH interactive platform); and g) Ensure compliance with the myriad IRB and other approval bodies that oversee various activities of the NARCH collaborative, including publications and presentations. 2) Stimulate, coordinate, and monitor activities across Core components, including a) Ensure regular communication and coordination of activities; b) Compile and distribute progress reports from research project (RP) leaders and CSAC members; c) Frequent review of individual Core as well as RP action plans for timeliness and appropriateness; and d) Ensure that all required Tribal approvals concerning presentations and publication are followed in a respectful and timely manner by all partnership entities. 3) Supervise implementation of key strategic decisions related to program plan, including a) Oversee the recruitment, selection, assignment, and evaluation of a new overall NARCH Program Coordinator (if either research project funded); b) Coordinate as well as review Core faculty involvement in activities across Core and RP components; c) Formalize agreements with local agency and community participants in RPs; and d) Review, advise, and support RP Leader plans for implementing research projects. 4) Facilitate program planning, evaluation and review, including a) Organize and communicate to the Community and Scientific Advisory Council (CSAC) on at least a bi-annual basis; b) Coordinate communication with the CSAC, in support of formal meetings and interim participation in program activities; c) Employ Systems Evaluation Protocol procedures in developing an evaluation plan that can determine the effectiveness of the Lakota Center for Health Research for multiple constituencies; d) Convey CSAC recommendations about program emphases and direction to RP Leaders, Core Faculty, and NARCH project officer; and e) Verbal and written reports on NARCH progress to IHS/NIH project officers. Core A staff, then, will engage in a broad range of logistical operations (e.g., scheduling, communication, personnel matters, expenditures, and monitoring), coordination of activities across all cores through a Coordinating Committee, key strategic decisions, and program planning, evaluation and review.