The University of Alabama at Birmingham's (UAB) Building and InnovatinG: Digital heAlth Technology and Analytics (BIGDATA) Core Center will serve as a catalyst for the design and implementation of rigorous, high- impact clinical research studies advance musculoskeletal, arthritis and skin disease research inside and outside the confines of traditional health care facilities, using data captured by mobile technology including Smartphone Apps and wearable biosensor devices. Oversight of the Center will be provided by the Administrative Core directed by Jeffrey Curtis, MD, MS, MPH, Associate Director Huifeng Yun, PhD, and key faculty S. Louis Bridges, Jr., MD, PhD and, Kenneth Saag, MD, MSc. The central purpose of the Administrative Core is to oversee all operations of the Center and facilitate BIGDATA's mission to improve the design, collection and analysis of real-world (e.g. electronic health record, registry, health plan, biosensor), and 'omic' data as applied to rheumatologic, musculoskeletal, and skin disease research using both traditional and novel data sources (e.g. Smartphone Apps, biosensors/wearables, digital images) and methods (e.g. data visualization; natural language processing data; machine learning and deep learning analytics) via the following specific aims: (1) Set the priorities and the overall strategic agenda to facilitate rheumatologic, musculoskeletal, and skin disease research; (2) Coordinate Core facilities, supporting a vigorous intellectual and scholarly research environment; (3) Facilitate the continued evolution of the highly successful Methodologic Core and its expansion to incorporate novel technologies embedded in the Data Capture & Integration Core (DCI) to develop new services and innovative research projects using state-of-the-art tools from rheumatology, informatics, statistics, epidemiology, implementation science, and outcomes research at UAB and Auburn University; (4) Oversee the continuation of the outstanding educational enrichment programs designed to bolster the knowledge and skills of the user base, leading to higher quality clinical research; (5) Foster the development and provide oversight and management of Pilot and Feasibility projects; (6) Coordinate interactions with the Executive & Advisory Committees, and existing UAB entities such as the NCATS-funded Center for Clinical and Translational Science, UAB Informatics Institute, NIAMS-funded Investigations in Gout, Hyperuricemia, and Comorbidities P50 Center of Research Translation; the Comprehensive Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, Bone, and Autoimmunity Center; Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research and Education, and the UAB Pharmacoepidemiology & pharmacoEconomics unit; (7) Serve as the evaluation touchstone to: a) ensure continuous quality improvement in leadership, engagement and the quality of services and resources provided by BIGDATA to the User Base, and b) quantify BIGDATA's impact on the research community.
