Research Capacity Core

RESEARCH CAPACITY CORE – ABSTRACT The NYC-MEHSJ Research Capacity Core (RCC) will strengthen the productivity of the research projects, the quality of pilot projects, and the overall research capabilities of faculty scholars and researchers at the City College of New York (CCNY). Recurring emphasis will be on research that can potentially eliminate or reduce

health disparities (HD). Conceptual prowess and practical familiarity with relevant research and analytical techniques are critical to research excellence and productivity; therefore, this core will focus on equipping and supporting our investigators with technical resources and cognitive skills through technology workshops, hands-

on training, team-building initiatives to encourage collaborative efforts, and optimized access to research equipment and resources currently scattered across the campus. Led by a team of senior researchers from diverse disciplines, the capacity-building resources and services administered through this core will be organized

under four interwoven themes. The Research Technology Resource will mobilize critical research cores and instrumentation operations across campus to create a coordinated research infrastructure network accessible to Center investigators and campus researchers at large. Hands-on training in the concepts and applications of

cutting-edge equipment and techniques will be provided to strengthen researcher capabilities in conceiving, designing, conducting, and analyzing innovative and HD-related research at the cutting edge of their fields. The Research Design and Analytics Resource will deploy a full-time doctoral-level professional as well as

biostatisticians and bioinformaticists to provide CCNY with expert consultations in rigorous research design and hands-on data analytics across scientific disciplines. We will establish a service that includes hardware and staff support in data structures, data warehousing, data analytics, and communications tools consistent with NIH’s

ongoing emphasis on research rigor and reproducibility. The Research Artificial Intelligence (AI) Resource will build on the reality that AI tools and concepts are defining the next frontiers of research and innovation across disciplines, whereas significant challenges related to HD persist. We will develop and deploy data tools, learning

algorithms, and devices for detecting and debiasing AI systems, particularly those used in biomedical, behavioral, and clinical HD-related research. Core tools developed or acquired, from EHR to diagnostic and language tools, will be available to our researchers, along with training to deploy them in their research. The

Community Participation Resource will work intimately with the Community Engagement Core and with investigators to implement proven strategies for engaging served communities in research co-ideation, community participation in ongoing research, strategizing to improve access to healthcare-related technologies,

and provide communication support for our investigators whose research involves access to clinical or community-drawn participants. We expect these resources and services to strengthen the proposed research projects and the anticipated pilot projects and raise the overall HD research quality and productivity at CCNY.