The UAB NORC serves over 100 researchers who are studying obesity and nutrition. We have 3 scientific core laboratories – Metabolism, Animal Models, Design Analytics – that provide services to our researchers. We offer pilot and feasibility funding each year for junior researchers. Our enrichment program brings world-class researchers from all over the world to UAB each week in our NORC seminar series. We offer many opportunities for career development for our junior researchers and have 3 NIH T32 training grants for pre- and post-doctoral fellows. The UAB NORC aims to facilitate collaboration and interaction among researchers to allow us to tackle the biggest problems in obesity and nutrition.
Mission Statement
The UAB NORC mission is “To promote multidisciplinary basic, clinical, and translational research, and research training on the causal factors underlying nutrition and obesity-related health problems and the generation and evaluation of evidence on their consequences, prevention, and alleviation.” Our overarching focus is on the causes, complications, and alleviation of obesity. At each step, we aim to maintain the highest standards of scientific rigor, to promote creative and impactful research, and to open new questions and areas of inquiry both within and beyond our institution. We are committed to disseminating the knowledge thus obtained through education and training.
Enrichment
The Enrichment Program comprises a broad-based, comprehensive, and integrated set of activities that serve as a nidus of ideas and collaborations among nutrition and obesity researchers. The Aims of our Enrichment Program are to:
Specific Aim 1.
Provide varied didactic opportunities targeted to a diverse group of investigators representing different disciplines and career stages.
Specific Aim 2.
Provoke creative and impactful nutrition and obesity ideas through multiple approaches and venues.
Specific Aim 3.
Promote multidisciplinary collaborations between nutrition and obesity researchers and investigators from other fields with relevant expertise within UAB, as well as with scientific colleagues at other academic institutions and nonscientific partners within community settings.
These aims are cross-cutting and achieved via a program of specific components, including:
- a seminar series,
- national education and outreach (including short courses and national symposia),
- special activities (workshops, roundtables, etc.)
- training programs (predoctoral and postdoctoral levels),
- translational research and training,
- creativity promotion activities, and
- fund-raising activities.
Learn more about Education & Enrichment
Training Programs
A major emphasis of the UAB NORC is to enhance and foster the institutional training environment for obesity-related research. Collectively, our training grants support post-doctoral, pre-doctoral, and summer medical student training. In building our Training Program, we have aided young investigators’ careers, promoted UAB’s obesity-related research, assisted other T32 directors in filling slots when they were struggling, and recruited minority trainees.