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Core A
Data Management Core

Diane K Levy, Principal Investigator

Modern epidemiological research is collaborative and data intensive. Sophisticated data collection, storage, and quality control techniques are available and capable of greatly enhancing the efficiency and scientific precision of such projects. However, advanced expertise in utilizing these resources does not typically fall within the skill set of the individual investigator. Thus, the engagement of proficient personnel and centralization of the data management resources, making them available to a set of investigators with similar needs, can achieve great benefits and efficiencies. In addition, the programmers and data managers working in a specialized area for a period of time gain unique familiarity with the methods and needs of the investigators.

Since April, 2001, the SRP has benefited from the data management unit that is an integral part of Columbia University’s NIEHS P30 Center. Due to the substantial workload associated with this endeavor, individual SRP projects contributed to an expansion of the NIEHS Center data management unit. The unit has been collaborating with Drs. Ahsan (Project 2), Graziano (Project 3), and Gamble (Project 4), as well as with the Trace Metals and Biogeochemistry Laboratory Cores on a regular basis. Standard operating procedures for data entry, storage, and quality control have been developed. As a result of these procedures and data entry validation, the data cleaning effort required at the end of the data-entry cycle for these projects is substantially reduced. In addition, since all data are stored in one location, the process of creating required datasets for analyses is greatly expedited. Direct communication is also established between the unit and the projects’ statisticians, allowing the data management unit to gain a clear understanding of the specific dataset requirements for each project. Ultimately, data quality is greatly enhanced and the time to completion from the beginning of the data-entry process through to the submission of manuscripts is substantially reduced.

The new SRP Data Management Core builds upon the comprehensive infrastructure that has already been created for the NIEHS center to provide continued support of the data management systems required for the extensive research activities of Projects 2-4. The Data Management Core includes a highly secure network, various project management software tools that have been developed by the data management unit, database storage systems, and an extensive data-entry facility. All of these resources are being expanded in order to encompass the growth of the Columbia SRP's projects.