Getting Started with BDMC

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Working with us is easy. Here are the steps to get started:

Register in ilab
Step 01

Submit the BDMC Contact Form or contact us via the BDMC iLabsite.

You will be contacted
Step 02

A BDMC representative will contact you to schedule a consultation with the appropriate member(s) of the BDMC staff.

Meet with staff
Step 03

Meet with the BDMC staff to discuss your Biostatistics and/or Data Management needs. Any information you can provide before the meeting (e.g., draft protocol, data collection forms) will help to facilitate a more productive meeting.

Receive a quote
Step 04

If additional support is needed beyond the initial, free consultation, the BDMC staff will prepare a cost estimate for your project or grant based on the discussion during the consultation and submit it to you for review and approval. If other documentation is required for the grant submission, this will be provided as well.

Upon approval of the cost estimate or notification of grant award, the BDMC staff will work with you to set up the project in iLab. Project work will commence at the agreed-upon time.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

The Biostatistics and Data Management Core (BDMC) is one of the Cores in CHOP's Research Institute. Under the leadership of Julie DiStefano-Pappas, the BDMC supports the biostatistical and data management needs of CHOP investigators and supports studies ranging from small, basic science projects to large, multi-site clinical trials. Since 2008, the BDMC has been operated and supported by Westat, a large health research organization with extensive biostatistics, information technology, and data management capabilities.

Our biostatisticians provide consultative and analytic support services to investigators interested in basic, pre-clinical, clinical and epidemiological pediatric studies. Some of the services we offer include:

  • Study design
  • Randomization
  • Sample size and power calculations
  • Statistical analysis (planning, data analysis and report writing)
  • Statistical support for grant applications, abstracts and manuscripts

Data management consists of a wide range of activities from the development of data collection forms and databases to the creation of datasets that can be used for analysis. Careful planning and preparation prior to the initiation of a study both reduces costs and ensures the integrity of the data required for analysis. The outcome of your research depends greatly on how well you manage your data.

The 5 data management services most often requested by CHOP researchers are:

  • Database design and development
  • Case Report Form (CRF), survey, and questionnaire development
  • Data cleaning, including query resolution
  • Data entry (single or double data entry)
  • Creation of analytic datasets (in collaboration with the biostatistician)

Yes. Our database developers have built and maintained REDCap databases for numerous CHOP studies. Our developers are also proficient in Medidata Rave database builds for studies with FDA requirement needs.

Yes. We encounter all types of projects, and the support required for those projects varies greatly. Our services can be separated out and delivered a la carte, if necessary.

Yes, BDMC staff collaborate regularly with the CHOP Biostatistics faculty to assist investigators with grant applications and the design and analysis of research projects. Justine Shults, PhD, serves as the Biostatistics Faculty Advisor to the BDMC.

Yes. We can establish a departmental arrangement whereby the BDMC would provide an agreed-upon number of hours over a period of time (e.g., 40 hours per month for one year), which can be used by multiple researchers in the department.

If the BDMC is included in the grant's budget, then assistance with the grant submission is offered free of charge. It is expected that if the BDMC assists with a grant submission, our services will be used during the period of award.

BDMC staff offer free consultations to CHOP researchers to provide guidance on the statistical approach or data management needs of a project. Cost estimates are created if additional support is requested. The BDMC also offers free grant writing assistance as described in the question above.

During our free weekly walk-in clinic, a BDMC biostatistician is available to answer questions and provide general guidance on projects. Our walk-in clinic is held virtually on Wednesdays from 1– 3 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. Please view the banner on the BDMC landing page to join.

Complete the contact form or contact Linda Sprouse at sprousel@email.chop.edu.