Core Mission

The TRSC provides connections and resources to establish team science-based collaboration to transform the way we perform environmental health research across an enhanced definition of NIH-defined T0-T4 translation.

Core Capabilities

1. Catalyze team-based science and stakeholder-engaged research projects

  • Build research teams and help match the expertise – DISCOVERY INDEX (All center investigators and stakeholder partners); building relationships & connections via new networking tool
  • Pilot projects – initial focus for Project Execution Plan workflow
  • Facilitate the connections and leverage existing resources
  • Assist environmental health research team building and help identify and match expertise and resources

2. Facilitate the execution of stakeholder-engaged, translational research and co-production of knowledge. 

  • Less direct service offerings
  • Dashboard approach - Facilitate connections and leverage existing resources 
 

Consultation services available for:

  • Human subject research support: 
    • Assist with regulatory compliance (e.g. IRB, FDA) and development of grant proposals and protocols.
    • Human trial planning and the coordination of study participants including recruitment and retention, basic clinical testing procedures, administration of study test materials, and the collection and processing of blood, urine and other biological samples.
    • Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator time (hourly basis) for subject screening and sample collection
  • Biostatistics support: Biostatistics assistance on study design, grant proposal preparation, data analysis and results interpretation to Center Investigators as they plan, implement and prepare publications on their projects. Dr. Jiang is also interested in collaborating to develop customized statistical methods when existing tools are not available.
  • Bioinformatics support

 

Individual capabilities:

 
Biostatistics: Dr. Duo Jiang is Associate Professor of Statistics at OSU whose long-term research goal is to promote health science research by developing and applying cutting-edge statistical methods and by collaborating with biomedical scientists. She has a solid background in biostatistics with specific expertise in the analysis of large-scale biological data. Some current research areas include multi-omics data integration, microbiome data analysis, genetic association studies, mixed effects models, and graphical models. Her collaborative research has spanned several fields including microbiology, epidemiology, ecology, and animal science. As the EHSC biostatistician, she will provide biostatistics assistance on study design, grant proposal preparation, data analysis and results interpretation to Center Investigators as they plan, implement and prepare publications on their projects. She is also interested in collaborating to develop customized statistical methods when existing tools are not available.
 
The Translational Research Support Core can facilitate and conduct human clinical trials.  The Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator can assist with regulatory compliance (e.g. IRB, FDA) and development of grant proposals and protocols. Clinical trial activities include the coordination of study participants including recruitment and retention, basic clinical testing procedures, administration of study test materials, and the collection and processing of blood, urine and other biological samples.
 
A vast array of bioinformatics support is available. Ed Davis, a bioinformatics analyst at the CGRB, will provide guidance on study design and appropriate bioinformatic tools and techniques. Bioinformatics training and support is available for de novo genome and transcriptome assembly and annotation, shotgun metagenome and microbiome/metabarcoding, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and variant calling, differential gene expression/RNA-Seq, R and python coding, infrastructure onboarding, phylogenetics/phylogenomics, comparative genomic analyses, and other custom support as needed. The CGRB has several other analysts available for both long and short term assistance (% FTE and hourly rates available).

 

3. Disseminate research findings and research products to stakeholder partners and to broader groups of stakeholders.