As clinical trial research grows in complexity, access to timely, actionable data has become increasingly important for clinical investigators, operational teams, and clinical research administrators. The Academic Research Organization for Clinical Trials (ARO-CT) within the Office of Research was developed through UAB’s Research Strategic Initiative to strengthen clinical trials infrastructure and support. A collaboration between UAB’s Igniting Data Insights (IDI) , a university-wide initiative focused on strengthening data infrastructure and insights for decision making across campus, and the ARO-CT – has resulted in a powerful new resource: the Industry-Sponsored Clinical Trials Accrual Dashboard.
The dashboard combines two key aspects of clinical trial management, patient accrual performance and financial award balances, into a user-friendly platform. While OnCore (UAB’s clinical trial management system) captures accrual activity, financial award balances reside in Oracle Grants Accounting. This separation can make it difficult to quickly assess whether studies are meeting enrollment goals and whether sufficient funds have been collected to cover study expenses.
“At the highest levels, UAB is focused on developing our clinical trials portfolio so that we can offer our patients the most innovative treatment options. But to run the programs at maximum capacity, you’ve got to know where your resources are working well and where adjustments are needed. Data are everything in 21st century research.”
“We have tried many times in the past to combine important data from different systems here at UAB, but only now have we been able to really gain traction in this important effort,” said Mike Matthews, Assistant Vice President for Clinical Trial Operations at UAB.
The solution to this is the IDI initiative, which aims to build a robust, secure, and scalable data infrastructure that supports decision-making across campus utilizing in part the Microsoft Fabric data lake. “At its core, the IDI is making trusted administrative research data more accessible, connected, and useful. The Clinical Trials Accrual Dashboard illustrates how bringing together information from multiple systems can help teams make faster, better-informed decisions. As IDI continues to expand, we expect to unlock similar capabilities across campus, empowering data-driven transformation in research, healthcare, education, and administration,” said Scott Sorenson, Interim, Chief Data Officer. Through collaboration with IDI, the ARO-CT developed a solution that bridges these information silos. The new dashboard provides data including the study-level accrual target, accrual metrics, enrollment trends, and Oracle award balances.
Principal Investigators and Research Coordinators may access the monthly report in myResearch through myUAB or by using the link distributed via email on the second Thursday of each month. Beginning in August, sub-Investigators and financial award managers will also gain access. Users can quickly identify studies that are meeting, exceeding, or falling behind enrollment targets. Having this information in one location allows teams to evaluate performance and make adjustments before accrual challenges significantly affect study timelines. The integration of Oracle award balances provides a point-in-time snapshot of available funding and resource utilization. Most importantly, receiving both accrual and financial information on a regular, monthly basis will allow users to monitor trends over time, facilitating more informed decision-making.
The success of the ARO-CT Industry-Sponsored Clinical Trials Accrual Dashboard serves as a model for future analytics initiatives across the research enterprise. By combining expertise in data integration, visualization, and business intelligence, IDI will continue to transform how research data is utilized at UAB.