Find Information on how Center for Medical Epidemiology and Population Health (CMEPH) can support research design and implementation.
Research Study Design and Grant Submission
CMEPH has the capacity to design epidemiological studies, such as observational (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional, surveillance-based and correlation studies), experimental (randomized intervention trials, randomized field trials and randomized clinical trials), quasi-experimental (natural experiments, interrupted time series, regression discontinuity) and hybrid designs. CMEPH has proven experience in submitting applications and receiving funding for federal grant research and programmatic proposals in medicine and public health.
Study Subject Recruitment and Retention
CMEPH has the capacity to recruit and retain 12,000–20,000 study subjects a year. Recruitment interviews are conducted via multi-mode methods (e.g., telephone (computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) using random-digit-dialed (RDD) cellphone and landline numbers), direct mail, short messaging service (SMS) and web-based surveys. With any of these modalities, a broad spectrum of listed databases can also be utilized for subject recruitment (e.g., previously identified subjects, telephone users, mobile subscribers, direct marketing databases, and even registered voters. These modalities can be used singularly or in mixed mode and can be hybridized to meet research needs.
Data Collection
CMEPH has the capacity to conduct 100,000+ data collection surveys a year. Data collection interviews are conducted via multi-mode methods such as telephone, using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI), direct mail, web surveys, and panels. These modalities can be used singularly, in mixed mode, or hybridized to meet research needs.
Study and Sample Design
CMEPH has over two decades of experience and expertise in research survey design, survey questionnaire development, and sample design and acquisition. In the past ten years, the center has added capacity in all forms of epidemiological study designs and population health. CMEPH offers a process that can be a fully inclusive partnership and turnkey or simple services based on what a researcher wants or needs it to be. We thrive in a fully integrated research partnership but understand that sometimes a researcher has already created a completely realized study and only needs a partner to implement all or a portion of it.
Analysis and Reporting
CMEPH is led by two epidemiologists who function in Director and Co-Director roles. CMEPH has resident epidemiologists (postdocs), statisticians, and access to additional statisticians, informaticians, and researchers from across the MU School of Medicine and the university system. This structure provides for extensive data analysis and analysis capabilities. CMEPH’s goal is to present analysis and data in a highly usable, understandable, and actionable format. Analysis can be done in R, SAS, SPSS, Excel, or ACCESS. The accompanying analysis reporting can be done using Word, PDF, PowerPoint, or a web-based platform.
Data Maintenance
CMEPH employs a programmer/data manager dedicated to providing data services to researchers. CMEPH can clean, format, key in, maintain, and convert data bases for researchers.
