We host an annual week-long workshop, focused on a theme in cognitive aging and AD/ADRD and something else, such as biomarkers (imaging, genetics), harmonization and data integration, trials, disparities, reserve & resilience, cardio and cerebrovascular risk factors, causal inference, and of course, psychometrics.
Hosting this workshop involves
- Conference planning (logistics, hotel services, managing stipends and reimbursements, evaluations)
- Didactic planning (theme, speakers)
- Workgroup planning (obtaining and processing data, facilitating DUAs)
- Networking opportunities planning (career development talks, social gatherings)
- Admitting applicants (soliciting, organizing, adjudicating conference applications)
- Science and mentoring (post-conference working groups, manuscript preparation)
| Component | Roles & Project | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Admin core | Online presence (maintain website; twitter); Administration for ΨMCA conference (logistics, applications, awards) and post-conference meetings (progress reports, webinars, short courses); Scientific Advisory Board meeting; Swag; | |
| Education core | Planning, coordinating R13 ΨMCA conference; “Admin” core provides continuity in administrative details but content leadership rotates; Planning and submission of (a) symposia at national conferences (e.g., AAIC, GSA, INS, SER); (b) publication strategies (e.g., special issues); | NIDUS career development and outreach core |
| Maybe also roll in other things we’re already doing, like my summer workshop; or expand upon these offerings (make web training in methods finally available; develop new short courses (pre-statistical harmonization, statistical harmonization; causal inference in cognitive aging research) | lvmworkshop.org | |
| Research resources core | Generates resources (i.e., R code, maybe Stata code, but honestly R is the only thing that makes sense) to (a) process data, (b) conduct analysis (e.g., IRT, SEM, causal inference [g-estimation]) and post exemplar code using a variety of data sources (including those not publicly available but shared from external investigators). Maintains website (and GitHub) page to access these syntax files; Maintains website with contact info and tips for preparing DUA for target data files. Target studies are this year’s ΨMCA conference data sets, but resources are permanently available and continually developed (i.e., as workgroup projects progress) | Laura Gibbons; Anthony J. Damico’s ASDFREE (asdfree.com); RAND Gateway to Global Aging Data (g2aging.org); IALSA (ialsa.org) |
| Pilot core | Solicit and administer pilot funding. Maybe R03-ish level funding for ΨMCA projects that are strong; maybe a dozen or so “Multivariate, psychometric and latent variable scholarships (Mplvs)” awards for $1095 apiece, and we will accept applications for renewal at $275/y for up to 5 years | NIDUS Pilot core |
| Element | Effort (CM) | Total Direct (k) | Subtotal (k) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contact PI, Admin core leader | 2.4CM | 40 | 40 | |
| Project director | 6CM | 60 | 100 | Think Robin, but expanded to facilitate all R61/R33 activities |
| MPI & Core leaders (@3) | 1.2CM | 60 | 160 | |
| MPI (not core leader) (@4) | 0.6CM | 40 | 200 | |
| Data Manager(@1) | 6CM | 60 | 260 | |
| Web site | – | 20 | 280 | I have no idea |
| Pilots (@2) | – | 100 | 380 | |
| Mplv scholarships (@12) | – | 13 | 393 | |
| Publication fees | – | 20 | 413 | |
| Co-investigators and data analysts | – | 86 | 499 |