Data Management & Statistical Services

Home » Researcher Resources » Data Management & Statistical Services

Data Management & Statistical Services

Statistical and Analytical Services

The HHRI has identified two referral options to connect HHRI and HCMC researchers with short term statistical services when they do not otherwise have access to this resource for their projects. One option is the HHRI's Chronic Disease Research Group (CDRG) and the other is the University of Minnesota's Biostatistical Design and Analysis Center (BDAC). Both option are described below (hourly rates are updated annually.

To Request Financial Support for Statistical Services

For HHS campus investigators who need short term engagement for statistical support for their research or education activities but lack the financial means, the HHRI has established a small fund to provide up to 6 hours of financial support if one of the options described here are employed. Projects may qualify for this service if they conform to the following criteria:

They are conducted by HHS or HHRI faculty or trainees. Trainees must have a faculty mentor.
The purpose of the project is research or some other form of academic activity such as an educational project.
The project has a clear objective and end point such as a manuscript intended for publication, or a poster or seminar presentation.
The type and amount of statistical support needed is clearly articulated.
The requester does not have access to another source of funding that could be used for statistical support, such as a research or educational grant or contract, an HHRI Research and Education account, or institutional, departmental or training program funds.

This financial support may be requested to help with any aspect of a project that requires statistical expertise such as study design, optimizing data collection methodology, or analysis of data. This program is not intended for support of purely clinical activities such as quality assurance monitoring, data collection for administrative purposes, or the routine management of training programs. This program is not intended to provide for long-term statistical engagement, but rather short-term specific activities to assist investigators within a few months period.

To request financial support for statistical services as outlined above, please send the Support for Statistical Services Request Form in an email to Avery Tooley @ atooley@hhrinstitute.org

Chronic Disease Research Group (CDRG)

CDRG can offer statistical support for HCMC faculty or trainees across all clinical areas. Rates depend on the particular needs, requiring either MS-level (approximately $80/hour) or PhD-level (approximately $125/hour) statisticians. Areas of expertise include:

Study design and data management
Sample size estimate/power analyses
Support for statistical section methods for gran applications
Inferential statistics, survey data and survival analysis
Generalized linear modeling
Longitudinal analysis
Methods for handling confounding
Mixed effects model

To explore working with CDRG for your statistical and analytical needs, please complete the PDF Request for Statistical Services form and send it to Dave Gilbertson, the co-Director of CDRG, at dgilbertson@cdrg.org.

Biostatistical Design and Analysis Center (BDAC)

BDAC offers biostatistical consulting and analysis at a rate and level of service appropriate to the needs of the researcher. Rates range from a Statistician/Data Base Programmer ($103/hour) to a Faculty Statistician ($125/hour). Services available include:

Study design consultation and evaluation
Sample size and power calculation
Writing statistical analysis section for grant proposals
Protocol development and review
Data analysis as specified in the study protocol
Optimization of data collection methodology
Tables, graphs, and summarization of analysis results
Interpretation of analysis results
Review of statistical analysis and results for manuscripts
Assistance and writing and reviewing the statistical methods for manuscripts

Additional information regarding BDAC services and how to obtain them can be found here: https://www.ctsi.umn.edu/consultations-and-services/biostatistical-support

Data Management - REDCap

As a service to Hennepin Healthcare researchers, HHRI has partnered with HCMC to manage accounts and provide a secure server to host REDCap, as an onsite resource for managing forms, surveys, and clinical research databases.

How do I request a REDCap account?
For access to REDCap, go to https://is.gd/projrequest

What is REDCap?
REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) is a free, secure, web-based application. REDCap can provide researchers with a professionally managed, secure, web based, HIPAA compliant environment for building and managing web-based research projects. REDCap was developed by Vanderbilt University and funded by the NIH. REDCap has a fast and flexible set-up for customized data entry forms and surveys, and allows you controlled access to your projets through secure login. To learn more about REDCap and REDCap Survey, demonstration and tutorial videos are currently available on the REDCap Consortium website:
Home page: https://www.project-redcap.org/
Instrutctional videos: https://projectredcap.org/resources/videos/

How does REDCap work?
REDCap provides web-interface to a central database, facilitating tailored data collection for specific projects. REDCap is accessible from any device with an internet connection, so you can run it on an iPad as well as a laptop. When you enter data into REDCap, it runs on a Hennepin Healthcare server, but it is displayed on your local system. It looks and feels as if it is running on your own system, but it isn't. This provides great security because files containing sensitive data never leave the Hennepin Healthcare environment. Under appropriate study and security protocols, you may import data into REDCap as well as export data from REDCap, for statistical analyses via other programs.

Who can access and use REDCap?
REDCap access is available to Hennepin Healthcare faculty and staff and to non-Hennepin Healthcare collaborators. REDCap is open source, so the software is no cost and Hennepin Healthcare has agreed to provide access to secure servers for data storage. However, individual research programs are responsible for setting up and managing project specific REDCap databases.

What security measures will be in place?
REDCap is housed on a secure virtual data center that is access-controlled. Data are encrypted in motion and at rest. REDCap servers are behind Hennepin Healthcare firewalls and protected by intrusion detection systems. All electronic connections to the REDCap environment are encrypted.

How will data be backed up?
The virtual server that houses the database is backed up nightly at 7pm with a copy of the server image retained for 14 days.

Data Management & Statistical Services