Administrative Core: The specific aims of this Administrative Core include: 1) to provide the administrative structure to permit the effective day to day operation of the MCRC, 2) to provide the scientific expertise and leadership to identify and focus

Administrative Core: The specific aims of this Administrative Core include: 1) to provide the administrative structure to permit the effective day to day operation of the MCRC, 2) to provide the scientific expertise and leadership to identify and focus projects on clinically relevant issues and to insure that important unmet needs of underserved and minority patient groups are addressed, 3) to maintain and enhance internal communication and cooperation among MCRC members and to promote novel approaches to address clinically relevant issues, and 4) to expand the influence of the MCRC within the institution and to identify and secure institutional support to promote and enhance the activities of the Center.

The Administrative Core will be housed in the Division of Rheumatology in the Department of Medicine. This Unit will be responsible for the overall direction, organization, operation and integration of the MCRC. The MCRC director, Dr. Richard Pope, will be assisted on a routine basis by the associate director, Dr. Rosalind Ramsey-Goldman, and the Methodology/Data Management Core director, Dr. Rowland Chang. The MCRC administrator, Mr. Christopher Loertscher, will assist in supervising and monitoring all budgetary issues and the scheduling of meetings by the executive committee, as well as MCRC sponsored research meetings and seminars, assisting in the preparation of reports and in dealing with regulatory matters.

The scientific expertise and leadership within the Northwestern MCRC occurs at the level of the executive committee that is chaired by Dr. Richard Pope and includes Dr. Roz Ramsey-Goldman, Rowland Chang, Alan Dyer, Thomas Schnitzer, W. Zev Rymer, Lauren Pachman, and Rex Chisholm. A strength of this group is that it is composed of individuals with a variety of interests in clinical research on diseases relevant to the mission of the MCRC. The background that each member brings to the committee is quite different, which allows a truly multidisciplinary view of each issue. The committee meets bimonthly and considers all issues relevant to the scientific direction of the MCRC. The committee is responsible for identifying and pursuing new opportunities for interaction and development. These opportunities are particularly enhanced because of the roles of members of the executive committee both within the university community and nationally. It is through these interactions that the members of the committee are able to identify and promote important issues of national importance.