The Institute for Health Equity Research Catalyst Center

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Catalyst Center is an initiative of the Institute for Health Equity Research (IHER) and will build on IHER’s commitment to addressing longstanding disparities in health and health care, and advancing the field of health equity science. Since its establishment in 2020, IHER has grown into a vibrant and diverse community of

scholars, clinicians, patients, advocates, and policymakers. IHER’s mission is to bring together diverse collaborators across communities, sectors, and scientific disciplines to generate evidence and innovate solutions that drive equity in health and health care. The proposed Center will provide scientific training and grant support

to promote the engagement, advancement, and retention of investigators across ISMMS in community-informed research focused on understanding and eliminating health disparities. The Administrative Core (AC) will provide critical infrastructure to support all components of the Catalyst Center and will serve as the conduit among and

between the Investigator Development Core (IDC), the Community Engagement and Dissemination Core (CEDC), and internal and external stakeholders. The AC will oversee and guide Center administration, management, communications, and the conduct of all programs and activities, and will advance the Center’s

goals by leveraging and building on existing assets and strengths, including robust community partnerships. We will support the personnel involved in the administrative, programmatic, grant management, communications, and budgetary oversight functions of the Catalyst Center. Catalyst is designed to increase the breadth and quality

of minority health and health disparities research and facilitate rapid translation into practice and policy. To achieve this goal, the AC will oversee: (1) Leadership and administration of the Center. We will convene and oversee a multi-sector External Advisory Board (EAB), to be named if awarded the grant, and an Internal

Advisory Board of Mount Sinai academic leaders with a commitment to health equity; and provide administrative support for the Catalyst Community Board (CCB). The AC will serve as the Center’s fiscal manager and, in collaboration with IDC and CEDC, oversee budgets, reporting, and participation in annual NIMHD meetings. (2)

Integration across the Cores and internal and external communication. The AC will assist the IDC and CEDC with cross-Core programming and promotion of activities, including distribution of meeting notes and sharing of reporting processes and productivity metrics. Communication strategies will include a Catalyst website and

shared group communications channels. (3) Program management to ensure integration across Cores and development and implementation of a comprehensive Evaluation Plan grounded in Realist Evaluation. In collaboration with the IDC, CEDC, External and Internal Advisory Boards, and our Catalyst Community Board,

we will assess the quality, performance, and outcomes for each Core and for the Center as a whole. We will track and assess program implementation processes, short -and-long-term outcomes, and dissemination activities through iterative processes allowing for continuous program refinement.