NIAMS Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Center

David Redden, PhD, Director

The mission of the NIAMS MCRC Methodology Core is to establish the infrastructure for a broad spectrum of clinical and translational research using state-of-the-art tools in statistics, epidemiology, outcomes, health services, and behavioral research. The Core also provides assistance as it pertains to data collection, management, and computational needs of existing projects, as well as promotion of new investigation. To achieve this, the Core seeks to evaluate new evaluative, analytical, and translational methods of research. It also maintains a commitment to the continued education of new and established clinical researchers in the most recent advances of methodology.

Research Information

The Core assembles experts in statistics, statistical genetics, epidemiology, quality of life assessment, quality of care measurement, and economic evaluation in an effort to assess complex experimental data.  Though the primary focus of the resources involves experimental design, data management, and analysis, the core also leverages its talents to participate in the scientific development of investigators through structured teaching activities, pro-active consultation with research-base scientists in the development of new projects, and original contributions to the methods applicable to clinical research.

The synergism of classical statistics with outcomes research will provide a strong foundation for complicated investigation and translational clinical science. The expertise of the Core may also contribute advanced or less well-known techniques that may not be in a clinician’s repertoire. It also has the expertise in linking, cleaning, analyzing, and interpreting large pre-existing data sets which have proven useful for a number of elegant studies. Ultimately, the advancement of clinical knowledge will rely on the expertise provided by the Methodology Core.