The NCI Cancer Center Support Grant to the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) has funded the Biostatistics Core continuously since its establishment in 1978. This Core was rated ?Exceptional? in the last renewal. The Core provides expert biostatistical guidance in the design, conduct, and analysis of research projects conducted by cancer center members, and offers training in the fundamentals of design and analysis to the Penn cancer research community. Core personnel are prepared not only to apply existing methods of design and analysis, but also to modify or develop new methods to address novel design and analysis issues arising in cancer research projects. A major responsibility is to support the design of clinical trials; as such, the Biostatistics Core plays a key role in the Protocol Review and Monitoring System, particularly through the Clinical Trials Scientific Review and Monitoring Committee. Access to the Core is limited to ACC members. Andrea Troxel, ScD, Professor of Biostatistics, has served as a Core member since 2004 and as Director of the Biostatistics Core since 2014; she leads an accomplished and highly collaborative team drawn from the faculty of the Penn Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology. During the current project period, the Biostatistics Core has continued to be a dynamic presence in the ACC, providing collaborative biostatistical support services across the spectrum of cancer research. Participation of the Core has been essential to the funding of numerous currently funded grants, including three P01s, three P50s (including two SPOREs), one P60, one P42, two U01s, and one U54 in areas such as skin cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate and testicular cancer, thoracic cancers, esophageal cancer, smoking cessation research, and environmental carcinogenesis, as well as 25 R01s, six R21s, several K-series grants, and numerous foundation and state government grants. During the current project period, the Core has added strength in statistical methods for genetic data, clinical prediction, and pediatric oncology. Core members have co-authored roughly 400 publications in the current project period. In the upcoming grant cycle, the Core will assume responsibility for data management in the ACC, subsuming the role of the Biomedical Data Coordination Core. In summary, the Biostatistics Core is composed of a superbly qualified, productive, versatile and highly collaborative team of biostatistics and data management professionals who are deeply involved in supporting research throughout the ACC. 78 ACC members have used the Core in the reporting period of 10/01/13-09/31/14, and ACC member usage constitutes 100% of the total Core usage. CCSG support represents 21% of the proposed Core budget, with the remainder coming from other research grants and Institutional funds.
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