The Operations Core of the UCLA/RAND Center for Research on Quality in Managed Care consists of four Units. The Administrative Unit maintains institutional relationships; provides space and resources; supports scientific review, budgetary oversight, and IRB submissions and responses; and provides direct support for research through research assistants, programming support, liaison with survey groups, dissemination of findings and products, and convening advisory board meetings and hosting seminars. The Scientific Advisory Board reviews Center progress and direction, and the Community and Policy Advisory Board advises on broader directions for Center growth. The Data Management Unit (DMU) serves as the primary information processing and analysis unit for research activities of our Center. The Assessment and Theory Application Unit promotes high-quality assessment of health-related outcomes, quality of care, and local system and community context and capacity or readiness for intervention implementation. In addition, this unit provides consultation to Center projects in the application of key social science theories, principles, and constructs, and in matching those theories to measurement strategies. A long-range goal of this Unit is to develop a theory-based approach to assessing the capacity of organizations and communities to support the functions of quality improvement interventions and related innovations. The Intervention and InformationTechnology Unit supports researchers and community partners in designing and implementing interventions using state-of-the art technologies and tools to facilitate project management and communication. It also provides expertise in adapting interventions for different age, cultural, and clinical groups and different types of settings. The Investigator Development Unit supports linkages to training and mentoring for junior investigators across UCLA and RAND. The specific goals of the Operations Core are: 1)To provide scientific oversight, review, and priority-setting for Center research; 2)To provide administrative and budgetary support for Center activities; 3)To provide data management and analysis support; 4)To provide key resources and technologies necessary for Center research; 5)To disseminate Center approaches and findings; 6.To facilitate development of junior investigators; 7)To facilitate collaboration and consultation with diverse organizations and research groups.