Research Cores
The ASCENT Consortium is organized into seven specialized Research Cores that collectively advance the science of palliative care across the lifespan. Each Core provides expertise, resources, and leadership to achieve the Consortium's mission of improving care for people with serious illness and their caregivers.
Leadership and Administrative Core (LAC). The LAC coordinates the Consortium's strategic direction, governance, and operations. It ensures alignment across all Research Cores while overseeing compliance, reporting, and communication with NIH and other stakeholders. It also provides administrative support and fiscal oversight and facilitates collaboration among institutions and investigators to maintain a cohesive and effective structure.
Health Disparities Research and Community Engagement Core (Engagement). The Engagement Core engages different communities and stakeholders, addresses health disparities in serious illness care, and incorporates patient and caregiver perspectives into research priorities to ensure inclusivity and relevance.
Measurement Core (Measurement). The Measurement Core advances tools and metrics for assessing outcomes in palliative care research. It develops and validates measures across physical, psychosocial, and spiritual domains, provides guidance on measurement selection and implementation, and promotes harmonization of measures across studies to ensure consistency and reliability.
Pilot and Exploratory Studies Core (Pilot). The Pilot Core supports early-stage research projects that generate foundational evidence for larger studies. It oversees the Pilot and Exploratory Studies Award program, provides guidance on study design and feasibility testing, and encourages innovation in care models and methodologies.
Population-Based Data Core (PBD). The PBD Core leverages large-scale data to inform palliative care research and policy. It conducts secondary analyses of population health datasets, supports big data integrations and advanced analytics, and identifies trends and gaps in palliative care delivery to guide evidence-based improvements.
Research Design and Methodology Core (Design). The Design Core ensures scientific rigor and methodological excellence in ASCENT-supported studies. It offers consultation on study design and analytics, develops and disseminates best practices for trial design, and supports the integration of advanced methods, such as causal inference and artificial intelligence.
Research Education Core (REC). The REC builds capacity for the next generation of palliative care researchers through comprehensive training, mentorship, and career development programs. It manages the Research Scholar Award program, offers mentorship and educational resources, and develops curricula focused on research methodology and career advancement to foster professional growth.