Services
• Office of Clinical Research
• Office of the Associate Provost for Research
• General Clinical Research Center
• Center for Biomedical Imaging
• CHQOER (The Center for Health Quality, Outcomes
and Economic Research )
• Data Coordinating Center
• Department of Health Policy & Health Services
Research, Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine
• Framingham Heart Study
• MAVERIC (Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research
and Information Center)
• Microarray Resource Center
• Experimental Pathology Laboratory Service Core
There are resources to help you find colleagues with similar interests, shared databases (and collaborators to help you use them), a functional MR center, and, of course, the General Clinical Research Center. Many are free services. Some have user fees. The links embedded in the article below will provide more detailed information about each resource. We hope we can point out some resources you weren’t aware of that will be valuable to you.
Office of Clinical Research
(website)
The Office of Clinical Research (OCR) is a clinical research resource
for the entire Medical Center. Tom Moore, MD, Associate Provost for Clinical
Research is the Director of the OCR. The mission of the OCR is to support
and enhance high-quality, high-value clinical research. It does this particularly
through educational programs. Examples include:
• The Master of Arts in Clinical Investigation. This master’s degree program provides formal didactic training in the skills of clinical research. Students come from a variety of backgrounds including Baccalaureate degrees, PhDs, and MDs. Dr. Moore is the Director of this degree program.
• Monthly, online Clinical Research Times
• A monthly Clinical Research Seminar. Co-sponsored with our GCRC, the seminar covers a variety of topics of interest and importance to our clinical researchers. The Seminar is particularly popular among research staff and attracts 60-90 attendees each month.
• Responsible Conduct in Research training. The OCR organizes and manages the Responsible Conduct of Research Program that is required for all research trainees who are supported by NIH funds.
The OCR also assists investigators find interested industry partners
for collaborative research and has developed a self-reported, searchable
database for BUMC clinical investigators and their research interests
(BUMC
Clinical Investigator Search). (No charge for services.)
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Office of the Associate Provost
for Research (website)
(638-7654)
Mark Klempner, MD, Associate Provost for Research, directs this
office which stimulates multidisciplinary research among investigators
in the Departments and Schools at the Medical Campus, at Boston Medical
Center, and with investigators in allied fields at Boston University’s
Charles River Campus, e.g. the Schools of Engineering, Arts and Sciences
(Biology, Chemistry, Physics), Social Work, Sargent College, The Photonics
Center, etc. This office also promotes the development of new shared resources
that are needed for cutting edge biomedical research and provides administrative
support for multidisciplinary research applications for research funding.
The Office assists faculty with research strategic planning and assessment
of institutional capabilities and has developed a Research Resources web-based
database to identify researcher interest, expertise, and catalog of currently
funded projects. (Research
Resources for the BU-BMC Community). (No charge for services.)
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General Clinical Research
Center (website)
The GCRC is a key clinical research resource at Boston University Medical
Center (BUMC). It is located at the center of the medical campus (Evans
7). The overall goal of the GCRC is to provide a setting for patient-oriented,
clinical investigation by faculty members of the Boston University School
of Medicine, in particular those funded by NIH grants. The GCRC provides
inpatient and outpatient facilities, a core laboratory to carry out non-routine
sophisticated assays, a specialized equipment laboratory, and biostatistical
and data management resources. Funds are available to purchase additional
equipment for shared utilization (examples of such on the unit include
an echocardiography machine and a state of the art bone densitometer).
Michael F. Holick, MD, PhD is the Program Director of the GCRC. Additionally,
our Center has a dedicated Dental Unit, directed by Thomas Van Dyke, DDS,
PhD.
The BU GCRC also plays an important role in the training of new clinical
investigators on campus. Peter Merkel, MD directs the GCRC Clinical Investigator
Development Program (CIDP). This program identifies clinical research
trainees, links them with mentors, and provides “hands-on”
training in research methodology and completion of a research project.
Different components of the CIDP include the Summer Medical Student Research
Program and programs targeting research fellows. (No charge for services.
Supported by an NIH grant.)
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Center for Biomedical
Imaging (website)
This Center (opened in March, 2004) provides imaging capabilities specifically
for Boston University investigators. Its Philips 3 Tesla Intera MRI scanner
provides 6 independent channels for parallel imaging capabilities (so
called SENSE imaging). It offers access to all levels of pulse sequence
and hardware development from Philips. Capabilities of the 3T systems
include all rapid imaging techniques in multiple contrast (weighting)
options; dynamic studies (fMRI) using both spin-echo, gradient echo, and
CBF- enhancing techniques; connectivity, for the detailed reconstruction
of white-matter fibers and the diagnostics of white-matter disease; and
spectroscopy with 2D and 3D chemical shift imaging for large volume studies.
The Center Director, Dae-Shik Kim, PhD, and a center technician provide
assistance and interpretation support. The Center was funded with institutional
funds. Funded investigators are charged an hourly rate for magnet time,
but 25% of magnet time is protected for unfunded research. Tom Moore,
MD is the Chairman of the Center’s Oversight Committee. (Hourly
fee for magnet time, although some time is available for unfunded, pilot
studies.)
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CHQOER (The Center
for Health Quality, Outcomes and Economic Research ) (website)
This Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research & Development
Center of Excellence has linked its structure, operations and research
themes with the Health Services Department at the Boston University School
of Public Health. Dan Berlowitz, MD, MPH is the Center’s Director.
The Center’s research concentrates on four domains: health quality
assessment, outcomes measurement, health economics, and health statistics.
Across these domains, researchers develop innovative methodologies and
models of care to provide the most effective, efficient and appropriate
care to our nation’s veterans. As selected examples of the research
done at CHQOER, Dan Berlowitz’s analyses evaluating the quality
of ambulatory care continue, including projects on validating a measure
of hypertension care using administrative databases and developing a quality
measure for glycemic control. Jack Clark, PhD studies outcomes of prostate
cancer. Susan Eisen, PhD assesses the quality and outcomes of mental health
care, including revising and validating the Behavior and Symptom Identification
Scale (BASIS-32). The activities of Nancy Kressin, PhD focus on understanding
reasons for disparities in care for dental, hypertension, and cardiac
care. This Center is happy to share its expertise and its resources in
collaborative research.
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Data Coordinating Center
(website)
The DCC has been a data management resource center for the Boston University
Medical Center community since 1984. Directed by Suzette Levenson, MPH,
the 35 member staff of the DCC consists of statistical and database programmers,
web developers, and data managers with expertise in study design, implementation
of study protocols, development of computerized and web-based data collection
and tracking systems, quality control procedures, and statistical analyses.
The DCC has experience providing leadership and organization for large
multi-center clinical research projects. Responsibilities routinely include:
design and creation of case report forms (CRFs) and data dictionaries,
subject and data tracking systems, training site personnel in data management
and quality control procedures, site monitoring/auditing procedures, creation
of coding manuals and Manuals of Operation, project web site design and
management, design and implementation of a wide variety of data entry
systems with built-in range and verification capabilities, statistical
analyses, and study closeout. The DCC also has experience working with
Data Safety Monitoring Boards. Responsibilities have been to provide the
DSMB with descriptive material to review as well as timely interim analyses
and reports that monitor any adverse events. When planning to submit a
grant, investigators can contact Ms. Levenson who will assist in writing
the data management plan as well as developing an appropriate budget to
cover the data management activities for the project.
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Department of
Health Policy & Health Services Research, Boston University Goldman
School of Dental Medicine (website)
The Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research, at Boston
University Goldman School of Dental Medicine, and its NIH-funded oral
health disparities research center (http://www.creedd.org),
serve as resources for oral health research and training for trainees
throughout the Boston University Medical Center. Its Chair is Raul Garcia,
DMD, MMS. The Department's organizing principle is that its research efforts
must serve to inform health policy, health promotion, and clinical care,
with the aim of improving oral health outcomes. Dr. Garcia and his colleagues
in the Department have expertise over a wide range of research areas,
including current research projects on: access and utilization of dental
care; oral health-related quality of life; epidemiology of periodontal
disease, caries, and fluorosis; role of systemic diseases in oral health;
role of nutritional factors in periodontal disease and tooth loss; effects
of tobacco on oral disease outcomes; community surveillance and intervention
studies to measure and reduce oral health disparities in children, elders
and other vulnerable population groups. Staff has special expertise in
the analysis of longitudinal data as well as the use of large epidemiologic
and administrative databases for the study of oral health outcomes, including
the VA Dental Longitudinal Study, the largest and longest-running study
in the U.S. of oral health in aging. This Department is happy to share
its expertise and its resources in collaborative research.
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Framingham Heart
Study (website)
The Framingham Heart Study, now in its 56th year of continuous operation,
is one of the premier epidemiological studies of cardiovascular disease.
Much of the decline in the incidence of heart disease in the past half
century can be ascribed to knowledge of risk factors acquired in the Framingham
Study. In fact, the term “risk factors” was coined by William
B. Kannel, M.D. one of the original Directors of the Study and emeritus
Professor of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. The Framingham
Heart Study was begun in 1948 under the direction of the NHLBI. The objective
of the Framingham Heart Study was to identify the common factors or characteristics
that contribute to CVD by following its development over a long period
of time in a large group of participants who had not yet developed overt
symptoms of CVD or suffered a heart attack or stroke. There were 5,209
men and women in the original cohort (1948) and 5,124 of the original
participants' adult children and their spouses were recruited in 1971.
The Study is now enrolling third-generation subjects. Since 1971, the
Framingham Heart Study has been conducted in collaboration with Boston
University.
Dr. Philip Wolf, Professor of Neurology and Research Professor of Medicine
at Boston University School of Medicine is principal investigator of this
contract. There are tremendous opportunities to develop projects utilizing
Framingham Heart Study data, including genetic data and samples. In addition
to studies of cardiovascular disease and stroke, the Framingham Heart
Study is also the setting for epidemiological studies of osteoarthritis,
osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, pulmonary disease, sleep disorders,
visual impairment, hearing loss and others. You can learn more about accessing
data from the Heart Study by visiting its NHLBI
web site or by contacting Phil Wolf.
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MAVERIC (Massachusetts
Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center) (website)
The MAVERIC supports longitudinal, epidemiologic cohort studies of veterans
with the variety of disorders, and it offers opportunities for development
of new research projects. MAVERIC, located at the Jamaica Plain campus
of the VA Boston Healthcare System, is co- directed by Lou Fiore, MD,
MPH and J. Michael Gaziano, MD, MPH. MAVERIC staff have expertise in handling
national as well as regional administrative and medical care VA and Medicare
datasets. MAVERIC’s mission is to be a national resource to foster
epidemiologic research in the VA with a community of ad hoc consultants
and faculty with expertise in all disciplines of epidemiology; the necessary
infrastructure to support a highly relevant epidemiologic research agenda
including a core computing facility and core laboratory for blood specimen
processing and storage; a clearinghouse for VA and non-VA databases and
the expertise to harvest them for epidemiologic research projects and
pilot studies; a training center to educate both young and established
VA investigators in epidemiologic research methods; and an information
dissemination center for transfer of relevant epidemiological information
to VA health care providers and administrators system wide. A thriving
program in pharmacoepidemiology takes advantage of the availability of
VA pharmacy files for all 4.2 million veteran subscribers, merging these
files with laboratory files and ICD-9/PCT files.
The Clinical Trial Coordinating Center at MAVERIC is a core resource for
the VA Cooperative Studies Program. Existing toolsets for the conduct
of clinical trials include a 21 CFR 11 technically compliant web-based
electronic data capture system built in .NET framework using SQL Server
and CDISC XML data standards. This system satisfies the upcoming FDA submitting
standards for e-trials. For clinical trial management MAVERIC has developed
collaboration and document management tools using web services from Microsoft
(SharePoint Server). Expertise in all aspects of large and small scale
trial design, implementation management, IT regulatory compliance (including
systems validation) are in place and are available for competitive fees
or for collaboration on grant applications.
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Microarray Resource
Center (website)
The goal of the Microarray Resource Center (based in the Department of
Genetics and Genomics) is to help both clinical and basic researchers
at B.U. apply the power of genome-wide experimentation to their research
projects through the use of microarray technology. Microarrays make it
possible to perform standard molecular assays such as genotyping, measuring
gene expression, DNA resequencing, analysis of chromatin immunoprecipitations,
and analysis of alternative RNA splicing simultaneously across the entire
genome of any organism. The Resource uses both commercial arrays from
Affymetrix that can contain up to five million distinct DNA sequences
arrayed in an area about the size of a nickel, as well as custom oligonucleotide
arrays spotted onto glass slides that are manufactured at the Microarray
Resource. Over the last year, the Microarray Resource has analyzed about
four thousand microarrays for about sixty different research groups at
BU and elsewhere. The resource has received enthusiastic support for its
rigorous quality control process, ability to consistently produce high
quality data, and the detailed help they provide with experimental design,
data analysis and bioinformatics. For gene expression studies, users of
the Resource only need to provide the Resource with a small sample of
total RNA and the Resource handles the rest. (Charges fees for services.)
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Experimental
Pathology Laboratory Service Core (website)
The Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
has initiated a fee-for-service laboratory core.
Laboratory techniques and services that are offered include:
- Tissue processing-dissection services
- Histopathology
- Immunohistochemistry
- Transmission Electron Microscopy
- Digital Photomicroscopy (light and fluorescence)
- Quantitative Image Analysis
- Molecular Pathology
- Cytopathology
- Laser capture microdissection
- Pathologist consult services
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