Our Center

The Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center (SIRC) is located in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions at Arizona State University (ASU) and closely affiliated with the School of Social Work. SIRC was established in 2002 as a Research Consortium funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and was awarded ASU Center status in 2004 by the Arizona Board of Regents. SIRC continues to be funded by NIH and other federal agencies as well as grants and contracts from local governmental and non-profit organizations. SIRC was founded by Dr. Flavio Marsiglia and now is directed by Dr. Sabrina Oesterle, Associate Professor in the School of Social Work. SIRC consists of an interdisciplinary team of over 50 researchers, evaluators, administrative staff, students, interns and affiliated faculty from across ASU. A long-standing Community Advisory Board advises all of SIRC’s work. We have been advancing our mission through community-engaged research, evaluation, training, and technical assistance led by three integrated offices: The Office of Research, the Office of Evaluation and Partner Contracts, and the Office of Refugee Health.

VISION

MISSION

VALUES

SCIENTIFIC PRIORITIES 

In 2020, SIRC embarked on a year-long strategic planning initiative in collaboration with Phoenix-based Beyond Strategy Consulting Group (https://beyondstrategy.org/). The outcome of this strategic planning effort was the development of a refreshed vision, mission, and value statements, the identification of five key dimensions of success, and the selection of four scientific priority areas.