The Administrative Core (AC) provides a centralized structure to enhance communication and bolster successes across the consortium. The staff support the multitude of meetings across the Coordination and Evaluation Center (CEC) and the Diversity Program Consortium (DPC) while planning events, such as the annual conference, which connects members of the consortium. The overall goal of the AC is to optimize the efficiency of the CEC while collaborating across the consortium to support success.
The audience drives the communication, so within the DPC, the focus is on enhancing internal communication processes to assure the optimal functioning of the DPC community and direct access to best practices from consortium-wide partners. For external communities, such as broader educational institutions, diversity researchers, and policymakers, the CDC shares information to increase knowledge and impact change. Our products include the Hallmarks of Success and DPC evaluation outcomes, and lessons learned, best practices, and processes from across the consortium.
The Specific Aims of the AC are to:
1. Optimize the coordination and support of internal CEC activities across each core to ensure effective communication.
2. Coordinate and facilitate external collaborative activities among DPC members, including DPC Executive Steering Committee (ESC), and its subcommittees and working groups.
3. Provide scheduling and administrative support to the new CDC efforts to disseminate effective strategies for enhancing diversity in biomedical research fields.
4. Monitor quality improvement processes and coordinate the evaluation of CEC internal operations.
Administrative Specialist
Coming soon . . .
Administrative Specialist
Coming soon . . .
Senior PI
Administration Core Co-Director
Dr. Keith C. Norris is an internationally recognized clinician scientist and health policy leader who has been instrumental in shaping national health policy and clinical practice guidelines in the area of kidney disease. He is a leading health disparities researcher and a powerful advocate for increasing minority biomedical researchers (working from K-12 to junior faculty) and enhancing the research infrastructure of minority institutions. He was the founding PI for the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI), Translational Research Network (RTRN), the only national NIH network dedicated to reducing health disparities. He also served for 7 years as the president of the RCMI Program Directors Asociation.
Gerald Bempong is an administrator with expertise in public health advocacy, research and administration. As the primary administrative point person for the Evaluation Core (EC) of the CEC as well as the Publications and Presentation Sub-committee (PPsC) of the Consortium, Gerald works with the directors of the EC and chairs of the PPsC to coordinate and provide administrative support for their activities.
Publications- Harawa, N.T., Bempong,G.A., Fields, S., Leibowitz, A., Lee, D.,Meyer, P., ... & Shoptaw, S. Engaging Black Men Who Have Sex with Men (BMSM) in Los Angeles in HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). February 2016. California HIV/AIDS Policy Centers. Access Publication Here
- Asare-Bempong G, Ramamurthi HC, McCuller J, Williams JK, Harawa NT (2014) Recruiting Black Men Who Have Sex with Men and Women (BMSMW) in an Urban Setting for HIV Prevention Research. J AIDS Clin Res 6: 408. Access Publication Here
Co-Lead, Administrative Core
Dr. Cynthia Joseph is an investigator with expertise in communication education combined with experience and research interests in STEM diversity initiatives. As a Diversity Director for a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center, she led, implemented and evaluated diversity programming targeting high school, community college and four-year college students. Dr. Joseph's research applies critical theory with components of psychology, sociology and anthropology to identify implicit academic science norms as described by historically underrepresented STEM faculty.
Dr. Keith C. Norris is an internationally recognized clinician scientist and health policy leader who has been instrumental in shaping national health policy and clinical practice guidelines in the area of kidney disease. He is a leading health disparities researcher and a powerful advocate for increasing minority biomedical researchers (working from K-12 to junior faculty) and enhancing the research infrastructure of minority institutions. He was the founding PI for the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Translational Research Network (RTRN), the only National NIH network dedicated to reducing health disparities. He also served for 7 years as the president of the RCMI Program Directors Association.