Administrative Core

The goals of the Administrative Core are to provide structure and support for the research and outreach activities within the Cornell Center for Reproductive Genomics (CRG), to facilitate interactions across the two Cornell campuses (Ithaca and Weill Cornell Medicine) and with our clinical research partners at the University

of Pittsburgh, and to encourage new research interactions with members of the Cornell community and with NCTRI centers nationwide. This application seeks to build on the firm foundations established over the past 13-years which include: (a) a robust Administrative team consisting of Dr. Paula Cohen (PI and Core Leader),

James Bender (CRG Administrator), together with a strong support team; (b) frequent opportunities for intellectual interactions, including monthly work-in-progress seminars, informal weekly video conferences, CRG-sponsored seminars throughout the year, and a trainee-led journal club series; (c) a well-established

infrastructure for ongoing interactions through frequent videoconferencing, the Cornell-hosted bus service, and accommodation available on all campuses; and (d) a highly popular Annual Symposium that is open to all members of the Cornell community and to our neighbors in the North East. Since 2019, our symposium has

been named The Tri-Institutional Reproductive Sciences Symposium (“Tri-Repro”) since it is now co-hosted with colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania and the Magee Womens Research Institute (MWRI) in Pittsburgh. Tri-Repro focuses on the achievements of our trainees and serves to further enforce our

collaborations with Dr. Kathleen Hwang (co-leader on Project II, collaborator on Project III), while fostering collaborations throughout the North East. The Core will oversee our Pilot Project program in which at least one pilot project will be funded each year. We will also continue the CRG’s long-standing Trainee Seed Grant

Initiative which seeks to provide trainees with grant writing experience, and to establish innovative projects relating to the missions of the CRG, focusing on gene regulation in the reproductive axis. In addition to weekly informal videoconferences, the Core Leader meets regularly with the Steering Committee, consisting of all

Core/Project leaders, and Trainee Executive Committee to discuss progress, cohesion between the group, and to improve our collaboration and mentorship. We have assembled an exceptional Internal Advisory Committee to whom the Core Leader will report frequently, and who will meet with all Center members on a biannual

basis. An equally strong External Advisory Committee will monitor the Center’s progress, provide input on direction and productivity, advise on any conflict issues, and attend the annual Tri-Repro meeting. The Core will provide robust support for the P50 core/research components, and with strong institutional support and

funding, we will continue to prioritize the highest quality research matched by frequent opportunities to interact and discuss science. These avenues for communication and collaboration will allow the collective Center to become far greater, and have far more impact, than its individual components would do alone.