Transdisciplinary collaborations are vital to address complex health-related problems. Reducing disparities in chronic diseases challenges individual researchers and teams. Therefore, a multicenter research consortium with a Team Science approach could lead to transformational scientific breakthroughs and novel solutions advancing health equity in multiple chronic diseases with common pathways. This panel provides Team Science case study examples from establishing the Research Coordinating Center of the NIMHD Multiple Chronic Diseases Disparities Research Consortium, known as the Health Equity Action Network and referred to as the Consortium. The University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Coordinating Center, comprised of Organization and Administration, Research Coordination and Data Management, Investigator Skills Development, and Community Engagement Units, provides resources and technical assistance to 11 US Research Centers. The Consortium faced many of the challenges listed in the National Academies’ Enhancing the Effectiveness of Team Science (Cooke & Hilton, eds., 2015), e.g., large size, high diversity, geographical dispersion, and fluidly structured teams. Dr. Gansky, a Coordinating Center MPI, will present an overview of the Research Consortium and Coordinating Center structure and goals. The Consortium utilizes four Working Groups – Common Data Element and Data Harmonization, Community Engagement, Investigator Skills Development, and Project Managers – as cross-Center groups to facilitate setting direction, creating alignment, and building commitment. Dr. Rebchook, Community Engagement Unit Associate Director, will discuss the Community Engagement Working Group (CEWG) that serves as a Community of Practice creating opportunities for networking, collaborating, and connecting across the Consortium. The CEWG brings together community members and transdisciplinary researchers with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives from each Research Center to discuss best practices in community engagement and to design and implement a quantitative cross-consortium evaluation. Using Goodman’s Research Engagement Survey Tool, the CEWG is measuring the quality and quantity of community engagement at the Centers to ultimately assess the association between community engagement scores and health outcomes. Additionally, the CEWG supports a qualitative evaluation using multiple case studies based on the National Academies Framework’s four “petals” of meaningful community engagement (e.g., strengthened alliances and partnerships, expanded knowledge, improved health and healthcare programs and policies, thriving communities). Dr. Banava, the Coordinating Center Science Coordinator, will present the development of a Comprehensive Collaboration Plan (referred to as The Plan) incorporating the ten components of Team Science (Hall et al., 2019) and their corresponding elements. The Plan has been carefully adapted and tailored to meet the unique needs and goals of the Consortium. The Plan provides a roadmap that outlines strategies and actions necessary for productive team functioning and successful collaboration across the Consortium. The Plan is designed to be dynamic during the collaboration period, allowing for adjustments to be made as needed. Following presentations, panelists will discuss questions, including:  1- What approaches help enhance team functioning and cohesion for members with varying experience, expertise, and knowledge in large, geographically dispersed teams?    2- What strategies successfully encourage responsive communication, including Center research projects providing process implementation and process measure information?  3- How can large teams benefit from a Comprehensive Collaboration Plan?