The Methodology and Data Management Core has been critically important to the success of theNorthwestern University MAMDC and the current MCRC and is critically important to this renewal. Thecentralized availability of expertise in database and study form construction; data entry, monitoring, andretrieval; and the various analytic techniques used to test hypotheses and control for potential confoundersare essential resources for both established and new investigators. The Core has assisted educators,epidemiologists, and health services researchers from several divisions and departments in studying a widevariety of disease and demographic groups including systemic lupus erythematosus, osteoarthritis, juveniledermatomyositis (JDMS), rheumatoid arthritis, and the elderly. Core resources have been used efficientlybecause of the economies of scale.Recognizing that newer analytic techniques have become available and more accepted in the medicalliterature, this proposal continues the expansion of our work in clinical epidemiology and health servicesresearch previously implemented. Given this Center's emphasis on longitudinal outcomes research, expertsin advanced statistical techniques (generalized estimating equations (GEE), classification and regressiontrees (CART), discrete Cox regression analysis, meta-analysis), economics, decision analysis, clinicalepidemiology , behavioral science and genetics are included as Core investigators. The Core will supportthe three full proposals and the one developmental/feasibility proposal in this grant application and thefunded activities. It will continue to contribute to the MCRC research environment by providing datamanagement and methodologic assistance to investigators who engage in arthritis related research. Theparticipation of Core investigators in the arthritis clinical research conference and enhanced viability andsupport for clinical epidemiology, health services research, behavioral science, and genetics onNorthwestern University's Chicago Campus further heighten the Core's influence on the environment.
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