Biobehavioral and Methods Core (BMC)

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The Biobehavioral and Methods Core (BMC) will directly support the overarching goal of the Center to advance the science of cognitive and affective symptoms in chronic illness. The Center will accomplish this goal through the development of sustainable interdisciplinary biobehavioral research that is organized around centralized resources and infrastructure and complementary and synergistic research activities and that enables feasibility research to develop into new programs of research. The role of the BMC in this overarching initiative is to integrate biobehavioral and methodological proficiency throughout Center-sponsored activities and pilot research projects, from implementation, to analysis and dissemination, and ultimately, preparation for a subsequent R01. The BMC will also provide a centralized resource for other Center members in need of this expertise. A central component of the BMC is to ensure the quality, validity, rigor and appropriateness of the biological assays and behavioral measures proposed in the pilot studies and other Center-associated studies. The BMC represents a state-of-the-art research core that will provide center investigators with the biobehavioral and methodological support necessary to successfully achieve a program of research aligned with the theme of the Center. The Core will furnish Center investigators with support in both the collection, handling, and interpreting of biological data as well as in the comprehensive data collection, management, and analysis services as the requirements of their studies dictate. We will capitalize on our location by partnering with interdisciplinary researchers throughout Emory's Woodruff Health Sciences Center including the Neuroscience Institute, the Winship Cancer Center, and the Atlanta Clinical and Translational Institute (ACTSI). The Center will be staffed with doctorally-trained faculty with expertise in: 1) cognitive diagnostic classification, structural equation, and hierarchical modeling, 2) biostatistical quantification of variation in neuroimaging, 3) quantitative epidemiology (longitudinal data analysis and surveillance) and, 4) the acquisition, management, and statistical characterization and integration of biological data obtained by investigators. The mission of the BMC is to foster research productivity and quality, spur innovation among Center Members and establish a sustainable mechanism for interdisciplinary research in this area.