Our Mission
Collaborative Data Services provides strategic services in the design, oversight and implementation of scientific studies.
Collaborative Data Services (CDS) is part of Fred Hutch’s Shared Resources and provides services to support investigators and projects at Fred Hutch, University of Washington Cancer Consortium, and national and international research centers including Dana Faber, Uganda Cancer Institute and UCSF, among others.
CDS is invested in supporting research infrastructure that enhances collaborative, transdisciplinary research. The CDS team use evidence-based standards and effective quality assurance procedures from project design to study end.
All CDS study staff are HIPAA-compliant and certified in Human Subjects and Good Clinic Practice training.
ON THIS PAGE
Project Management | Programming| REDCap | Interviewing, Translation and Interpretation | Research Interviewing | Data Operations | Nutrition Assessment
Project Management
CDS offers customized and integrated project management services. Our project management team works with investigators to develop customized solutions to meet recruitment, data management, translation and other needs. Our project management team is experienced with case control, RCTs (both single and multisite) and cohort studies.
- Collaborate with PI and study teams to manage study development
- Develop and implement workload timelines
- Advises on recruitment strategy and participant retention
- Assists with protocol development and oversight
- Oversee study budget
- Recruit, hire, train, and manage research staff
- Review study overview and track deliverables
- Provide file maintenance for IRB submission, CTMS/Oncore
- Assistance with formatting and editing documents
- Assist with gathering and organizing information
- Literature searches, Endnote libraries
Programming Services
CDS programming services provides a wide variety of resources to help studies meet their research needs. Custom coding, interactive portals for participant engagement and automated execution of study requirements enhance the efficiency and impact of research studies
- Customized programming solutions in .NET to meet project or department needs
- API programming
- Automated data transfers between systems
- Legacy application modernization for improved performance, security and usability
- Support for multi-language projects – also see Interviewing, Translation and Interpretation Services (ITIS) for your translation needs
- Website creation, including for participant recruitment
- Custom dashboards for study staff to track participants and results
- Project management support
- Project design and optimization
- Survey distribution and automation
- Programming extensions
- Extract, clean, transform, and load data between systems
- Including but not limited to Excel, Access, MySQL and SQL Server
Custom specimen repositories facilitate inventory management, specimen data collection and tracking, shipment tracking and invoice generation
REDCap Services at CDS
CDS manages an installation of the popular REDCap electronic data capture system and is a member of the REDCap consortium. You will find our REDCap server athttp://redcap.fredhutch.org. CDS also provides extensive training in REDCap which you can exploreon theREDCap Training page.
- REDCap is a secure web application for building and managing CRFs (case report forms), data forms, and participant-completed surveys. REDCap stands for Research Electronic Data Capture -- it was created by and for researchers working in the academic / non-profit world.
- REDCap is HIPAA-compliant and supports advanced features such as logging, validation, branching logic, e-signatures, randomization, calculated fields and programming hooks. REDCap's mobile app allows for offline data capture using iPad and Android tablets. Collected data can be easily exported from REDCap to Excel and common statistical packages (SPSS, SAS, Stata, and R).
- REDCap is easy to use, but it also has advanced features and programming hooks to serve researchers’ needs, whether creating simple surveys or conducting large complex research studies and projects.
- REDCap has been used by thousands of institutions throughout the world. The REDCap group at Vanderbilt University manages the development of the REDCap code base; new features are added every month to make it better. CDS, which is an active member of the REDCap consortium, regularly maintains our REDCap installation so that it remains up to date.
The Fred Hutch REDCap installation has been carefully configured to meet stringent Fred Hutch security and privacy concerns. REDCap meets the requirements for HIPAA compliance and has been vetted by Hutch security staff. Email Ryan Merrill to request the REDCap IT Considerations document which should be helpful for IRB reviews and grant submissions.
You can work with REDCap in a number of different ways, including:
1. Have CDS's REDCap experts setup your project and design your data collection instruments. We can provide you with an estimate of the cost based on your needs.
2. Have CDS create the project but do all the design of the data collection instruments yourself. This option is good for smaller projects and those with tight budgets. We only charge you a nominal one-time project creation fee.
3. Do most of the work yourself but get CDS's expert assistance with the hard parts (e.g., randomization, complex calculations, mobile device support, automated feed from another system or programming extensions). We are happy to custom fit a hybrid solution that fits your needs and your budget.
We are happy to discuss your project's needs with you and get you up and running in REDCap quickly. To get started, you can either:
- Contact Ryan Merrill to set up a time to meet and discuss your needs and options.
- Attend REDCap Office Hours which are hosted on Microsoft Teams every Monday from 3:00-3:30 PM.
- If you’re ready to create your REDCap project, complete theNew Project Survey(a REDCap survey, of course!).
The CDSREDCap Trainingpage has recorded seminars and slides covering the basics of REDCap as well as advanced features. Custom REDCap training can be arranged as needed. Email redcaphelp@fredhutch.org to ask about this.
Interviewing, Translation and Interpreter Services
CDS Interviewing, Translation and Interpretation services (ITIS) is committed to health equity and inclusion by fostering collaboration with local communities. CDS supports partnerships between the Fred Hutch and community outreach organizations.
- Provide culturally appropriate and high-quality Spanish translations using up-to-date translation industry tools.
- Able to coordinate between research teams and vetted external vendors that provide translation in the top 5 languages in WA.
- Offer sight translation (orally translating brief written text, for example non-English speaking patients completing a medical form).
- Facilitate communication for moderator/interviewer for focus groups, group interviews and one-on-one interviews.
Recruitment, Screening, Non-responder, Follow-up or reminder, scheduling
- Subtitling
- Voice-over
- Transcription
- Customization of apps, websites, documents, or products for an intended audience.
- Key to gain target audience engagement
CDS combines human and AI to transcribe qualitative interviews and focus groups, fast and efficiently.
Research Interviewing
CDS research interviewing is available to help investigators and research groups administer surveys and questionnaires over the phone, via video conference calls or in-person. Research interviewers enter participant responses into an electronic database.
Our team is trained in interviewing methodology, HIPAA regulations, human subjects research, and has several years’ experience communicating with diverse study participant populations.
CDS Interviewing integrates programming and translation services as needed to develop a customized approach based on clients’ needs. CDS offers research interviewing in English and Spanish.
- Focus groups
- Semi-structured interviews
- Data coding and thematic analysis
- Questionnaires and surveys
- Structured interviews
- Consent, Screening, Follow-up (reminder), Non-responder, Scheduling calls
- Recruitment strategies
Interviewer Training
Data Operations
CDS data operations is available to assist investigators and research groups in the mailing of study materials to individuals and study participants. Data operations offer various services to help the implementation of scientific studies. Our data operations teams are efficient and practice rigorous quality assurance.
- Recruitment/Approach and Follow-up
- Printing, mail-merges, assembly, delivery to mail room
- Tracking receipt and distribution
- Incentive mailings and tracking
- Promotional materials
CDS combines human and AI to transcribe qualitative interviews and focus groups, fast and efficiently.
Specializing in printing biospecimen freezer labels
- Experienced in multiple software programs for data entry of returned paper study materials
- Perform rigorous QA procedures
- Certified to handle biospecimen inventory and liquid nitrogen
- Provide sample pulls and delivery to desired location for study teams
- Track and provide to client position in freezer farm
Nutrition Assessment
The Nutrition Assessment shared resource (NASR) provides comprehensive support to investigators who include dietary assessment in their research protocols. Nutritional epidemiologists at Fred Hutch established this resource in 1993, which to date has provided support to hundreds of studies funded by the National Institutes of Health.
NASR uses the University of Minnesota’s Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR) software for data entry and nutrient analysis. This is the most accurate and comprehensive software available for nutrition research.
NASR has merged with Collaborative Data Services but will continue to provide its comprehensive support to investigators.
Read more about Nutrition Assessment services.
