PROJECT SUMMARY– ADMINISTRATIVE CORE The Administrative Core of University of Kentucky (UK) ASCEND (Achieving Success in Community-Engaged research to elimiNate Disparities) provides strategic leadership for program oversight, management, and evaluation of the proposed activities. The Core also provides governance, cross-core collaboration and communication, fiscal management, and institutional coordination to achieve our objective of advancing health equity by promoting community-engaged research (CER) success among ESIs from diverse backgrounds through the ASCEND Scholars Program (ASP) which consist of two transformative and linked opportunities: (1) the CER Training Program and (2) the CER Pilot Program with bi-directional engagement with community stakeholders through a Community Advisory Board (CAB). Motivated by the disproportionate health disparities experienced by underserved rural (particularly Appalachian) Black, Hispanic, and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations living in Kentucky - a state ranked among the worst in overall health- the UK ASCEND Administrative Core will provide the scientific and strategic direction for our proposed NIMHD Center of Excellence. This Core is led by two Co-Directors who are also multiple principal investigators who have successfully collaborated on grant applications, leadership initiatives, and a recent health equity cluster hires of underrepresented minority ESIs. Housed in the Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET) and in collaboration with the UK Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTS) and other institutional strengths, we will embed diverse ESIs within the rich research environments of institutionally-designated Research Priority Areas (RPAs). These RPAs address the most significant health disparities (cancer, neurological disorders, substance use disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes/obesity), with a sixth RPA addressing diversity and inclusion. The Administrative Core aims to: (1) Provide scientific leadership and governance, fiscal and regulatory management, effective communication strategies, and cross-sector collaboration for all programmatic activities, consistent with NIH protocols and equitable and sustainable community partnerships and (2) Continuously examine UK ASCEND's performance and progress through the systematic deployment of formative and summative evaluation approaches using optimal measures, evaluation science standards, and community engagement principles. Our three primary outcomes include: ESI CER career development, community engagement, and ESI research success. The Administrative Core will serve as the nexus for all UK ASCEND communication, meetings, financial management, regulatory activities, interactions with the NIH, and evaluation activities, ever mindful of our key objective-- to advance health equity by attaining success in community-engaged health equity research among diverse early-stage investigators.