Improving awareness of women with hypertension: ROAR (Rural, Obese, At Risk) - Leadership Administrative Core (LAC)

More than 1 in 3 women are living with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and many are unaware of the risks. Hypertension is a major modifiable risk factor for CVD, and ~47% of adults in the US have hypertension. In ~85% of cases, the cause of hypertension is unknown and only ~50% of patients taking medication achieve blood pressure control. A critical barrier to limiting premature death from CVD is lack of awareness surrounding the risks of CVD. Our location in the Southeast of the US will contribute to our impact. The prevalence of hypertension and obesity are high in GA, MS, and SC, and the prevalence of hypertension and associated risk is not equal among all populations. The prevalence of hypertension in Black people in the US is among the highest in the world. The overall goal of ROAR is to transform academic and community understanding of sex as a biological variable (SABV) in the consideration of hypertension. The ROAR Leadership Administrative Core (LAC) will provide vital support for all ROAR programmatic activities, investigators, and staff. The goals of ROAR-LAC are to 1) provide direction, oversight, support, and assessment of the entire ROAR program including the research projects and career enhancement core, 2) coordinate communication and collaboration across the three ROAR institutions, and 3) work with the SCORE consortium to maximize our impact, expand opportunities for trainees, and promote new collaborations in SABV in CVD. ROAR-LAC will monitor, evaluate, and support to all aspects of the program to ensure our goals are achieved. This will be accomplished through 4 objectives. Objective 1 is to facilitate and coordinate ROAR business operations. ROAR-LAC is responsible for matters of personnel, coordination, centralization of services, and fiscal management. Objective 2 is to stimulate communication across ROAR and with the SCORE Consortium. ROAR-LAC bridges the activities of ROAR with the NIH, Augusta University, the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, and the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Objective 3 is to organize and coordinate review of ROAR and ROAR activities. ROAR-LAC will coordinate, develop, and submit assessments and reports across the program, including organization of program review and peer-review of pilot programs. Objective 4 is to promote and integrate the consideration of SABV into the research culture of the ROAR institutions and local communities. ROAR-LAC will help develop a community built around the concept of SABV research and strengthen institutional and inter- institutional programs through the dissemination of information across ROAR. The impact of ROAR will be to advance science and training of the next generation of leaders in the consideration of SABV on the development and progression of CVD, facilitate the development of a range of educational content that will be fully available to the Consortium, and promote increased community awareness of the importance of cardiovascular health and BP pressure control. ROAR-LAC will help ensure the success of ROAR by guaranteeing open communication, administrative support, transparent finances, and strong leadership.