Center Executive Summary

The UTMB NIEHS Center is presently in its third five-year cycle of continuous funding. During the first two cycles the Center clearly established itself as a vibrant organization that fulfills all the essential characteristics of an NIEHS Core Center. The goals set for the current funding period are given below.

1. The Research Cores will promote cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research dedicated to defining the role of oxidative stress in mediating the health effects of exposure to environmental factors through:
   • Regular meetings of the Research Cores;
   • Enhanced interactions among Research Core Directors through the Internal Advisory Board;
   • Joint grant applications by Center Investigators within and between Research Cores;
   • Program Project Grants that span multiple Research Cores.
2. The Service Cores will enhance the productivity and quality of the research performed by Center Investigators through:
   • Continuous assessment by the Internal Advisory Board of the quality and importance of the services provided;
   • Workshops by Service Core Directors to inform Center Investigators of new capabilities and solicit suggestions for new services;
   • Enhancement of the capabilities of the Service Cores by shared instrument grants;
   • Access to combinatorial chemistry through interaction with the Chemical Biology Program.
3. The Community Outreach and Education Core will provide an effective link between Center Investigators and the lay communities and schools through:
   • Continued development and promotion of innovative new programs for informing the public about environmental health;
   • Involvement of additional Center Investigators in outreach programs;
   • Joint funding with community organizations to develop prevention and intervention strategies.
4. The Administrative Core will enhance the intellectual atmosphere for Center Investigators through:
   • Use of Pilot Projects to stimulate innovate ideas and collaborative initiatives;
   • Seminars by prominent external speakers and Center Investigators to spark new ideas;
   • Joint recruitment with other Centers of new faculty with an interest in environmental health and medicine.
5. The NIEHS Center will enhance opportunities for translational research through:
   • Recent appointment of an Associate Director for Translational Research to work with the Internal Advisory Board in promoting translational links between Center research and human health and disease;
   • Targeted recruitment of clinician-investigators to the NIEHS Center;
   • Targeted support of Pilot Projects for translational research.