Coordination and Evaluation Center
Supporting Biomedical Research
The Diversity Program Consortium (DPC) Coordination and Evaluation Center (CEC) at UCLA provides grantees operational support and leads the Enhance Diversity Study (EDS), which assesses outcomes from data collected through national surveys and conducts interviews and focus groups. This study is part of a national effort to learn more about student and faculty experiences with higher education, scientific research, mentoring, and career paths, which could help decision makers learn how to support a more diverse and inclusive future.
Working together with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other DPC initiatives, the CEC identified a set of key outcomes, or Hallmarks of Success, to identify critical features of student and faculty career development, along with institutional changes that could be measured over time to assess the impact of DPC initiatives to enhance and support diversity in the biomedical workforce.
To achieve these goals, the DPC is comprised of four cores, or teams, each of which is charged with carrying out the consortium’s mission: the Administrative Core, the Communication & Dissemination Core, the Data Coordination Core and the Evaluation Core. Each team is led by a director and co-lead, as well as an external advisory board that provides guidance.
Administrative Core
The Administrative Core (AC) serves as the coordination hub that supports the activities, committees and working groups that connect members of the DPC to each other. The AC also aids in effective dissemination strategies to diversify opportunities in biomedical research fields.
Communication & Dissemination Core (CDC)
Tasked with developing and refining communications for the CEC, the Communication & Dissemination Core (CDC) is responsible for sharing best practices, research outcomes, systems and tools across the DPC, as well as supporting the Communications Working Group, which aims to coordinate consortium-wide dissemination efforts. The CDC also uses the information collected to further connect with key external audiences through a LinkedIn blog and the Enhance Science project.
Data Coordination Core (DCC)
The Data Coordination Core (DCC) is charged with providing state-of-the-art data collection, management expertise and related services by working in partnership with the other cores, BUilding Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD), the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) and the NIH to increase student and faculty participation in DPC activities. These results are then compiled and used to evaluate the Hallmarks of Success across the consortium.
Evaluation Core (EC)
How did interventions impact a student’s completion of their Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine (STEMM) undergraduate training? Did they successfully transition to a graduate program and obtain their degree? How is faculty research productivity impacted by BUILD involvement? These are some of the questions the Evaluation Core (EC) seeks to answer. To do this, the EC evaluates the hallmarks at several steps along an individual’s journey and attempts to determine initial impacts of different interventions on students and faculty that could support biomedical research success over time in their career.
Learn More About Our Efforts
Visit the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN), BUilding Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD), the DPC Dissemination and Translation Awards (DPC DaTA), and Sponsored Programs Administration Development (SPAD).
Meet the CEC Team
Center Leadership
Keith C. Norris, MD, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator
Administration Core Director
Teresa Seeman, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator
Data Coordination Core Director
Christina Christine, PhD
Evaluation Core Director
Cynthia Joseph, EdD
Communications & Dissemination
Core Director
Administration Core Co-Lead
Heather McCreath, PhD
Data Coordination Co-Lead
Hansook Oh, MA
Communications &
Dissemination Co-Lead
Sylvia Hurtado, PhD
Evaluation Co-Lead
Nicole Maccalla, PhD
Evaluation Co-Lead
Krystle Cobian, PhD
Project Scientist
Evaluation Core
Catherine Crespi, PhD
Professor, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
Evaluation Core
Kevin Eagan, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Education
Evaluation Core Director
Dawn Purnell
BUILD Program Associate Lead
Data Collection and Evaluation Cores
Hector Ramos, PhD
Project Scientist
Evaluation Core
Ana Romero, PhD
Associate Project Scientist
Evaluation Core
Naomi Stephen
PhD Student
Evaluation Core
Jayashri Srinivasan
Associate Project Scientist
Evaluation Core
Catarina Kiefe, MD, PhD
Deborah Founier, PhD
Emma Fernández-
Repollet, PhD
Keith C. Norris, MD, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator
Administration Core Director
Teresa Seeman, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator
Data Coordination Core Director
Christina Christie, PhD
Evaluation Core Director
Cynthia Joseph, EdD
Communications & Dissemination
Core Director
Administration Core Co-Lead
Heather McCreath, PhD
Data Coordination Core
Co-Lead
Hansook Oh, MA
Communications &
Dissemination Core Co-Lead
Sylvia Hurtado, PhD
Evaluation Core Co-Lead
Nicole Maccalla, PhD
Evaluation Core Co-Lead
Center Investigators
Krystle Cobian, PhD
Project Scientist
Evaluation Core
Catherine Crespi, PhD
Professor, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
Evaluation Core
Kevin Eagan, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Education
Evaluation Core
Dawn Purnell
BUILD Program Associate Lead
Data Collection and Evaluation Cores
Hector Ramos, PhD
Project Scientist
Evaluation Core
Ana Romero, PhD
Associate Project Scientist
Evaluation Core
Naomi Stephen
PhD Student
Evaluation Core
Jayashri Srinivasan, PhD
Associate Project Scientist
Evaluation Core
For further information, please contact us at info@diversityprogramconsortium.org.
See the Executive Summary to learn more about the CEC's work and team members.
External Advisory Board Members
Catarina Kiefe, MD, PhD
Deborah Fournier, PhD
Emma Fernández-
Repollet, PhD
The Diversity Program Consortium Coordination and Evaluation Center at UCLA is supported by Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health / National Institutes of General Medical Sciences under award number U54GM119024.
Grow Together.