Administrative Core: The IPRC Administrative Core provides Center administration and leadership fostering interactions between the IPRC cores and research projects; and with other injury control research centers. The Center's outreach activities fall under the Administrative Core, including the publishing of the Midwest Injury Control newsletter and organizing various injury control-related conferences and workshops.
Evaluation Core: The IPRC Evaluation Core's basic mission is to assist, develop, and conduct evaluation of community-based injury prevention programs. The Evaluation Core has two main objectives:
The Core is based on two fundamental beliefs about evalution. The first is that organizational structures are most effective when evaluation activities are fully integrated into the planning, implementation and assessment processes. The second belief is that programs directed at individuals and communities need to be thoroughly evaluated for their anticipated and unanticipated effects.
Simulation Core: The IPRC Simulation Core brings together investigators from the fields of engineering, medicine, public health, computer science, human factors, and psychology to pursue injury control research using high fidelity simulation technology. Efforts include both the development of new simulation technology as well using the emerging technology to study human behavior as it relates to injury prevention.
Beginning with the Iowa Driving Simulator, the University of Iowa has developed a nationally unique set of driving simulator research facilities. These facilities include the National Advanced Driving Simulator, the Simulator for Interdisciplinary Research in Ergonomics and Neuroscience, and a low cost simulator in the Industrial Engineering Department. IPRC investigators use these simulators to perform basic driving simulation research and study vehicle and highway system design, driver behavior and assessment, medical and health-related issues, and a variety of other applications. In recent years the interest in simulation applications in public health research has expanded beyond automobiles to now include a simulator to examine decision making while riding bicycles.
Training Core: The IPRC Training Core facilitates the educational development of students and faculty interested in injury research and provides a forum for dialogue on injury research topics. A number of injury-related interdisciplinary curricula have been developed to facilitate broad training in injury control methodology. Regularly scheduled injury-related seminars are held featuring speakers from around the country.
Research Support Core: The IPRC Research Support Core provides the backbone for the IPRC research program, and provides resources to IPRC investigators, University injury control researchers, and injury control collaborators in the community. The Research Support Core is highly integrated with both the other IPRC cores and the large research projects.
For example, the students who are trained in injury control research through the Training Core often receive much of their instruction and access to data through the Research support core. The dedicated and talented staff that respond to many types of requests for research support make this a highly successful IPRC core that provides infrastructure for the growth of injury control research.
