Research and Statistical Consult Service
The Biomedical and Health Informatics Department (BHI) offers Research and Statistical Consulting Services (RSCS). Although the mission of the program is to foster innovative research by supporting faculty, residents, fellows and students on the Hospital Hill Campus, our services are also available to others at UMKC on a space-available basis.
We promote high-quality research through services, including:
- Consulting on proper research design
- Supporting researchers in making sample size estimates
- Assisting researchers in ethical and accepted methods of data analysis and interpretation
Consulting Service Guidlines
Information requirements
RSCS staff must be consulted at the beginning of the project. Usually, this occurs before data collection has started. In some cases where secondary data are analyzed, this condition would be waived.
Those seeking consult services must submit the following information to the RSCS office:
- A draft project abstract of 250 words that specifies the Objectives, Methods, Anticipated Results, and Potential Conclusions of the project.
- If the project is a clinical trial, a brief (250 word maximum) project summary using the PICO format (if it is applicable to the particular study) must also be submitted.
- If the project is a clinical trial, a brief (250 word maximum) project summary using the PICO format (if it is applicable to the particular study) must also be submitted.
- The population being studied
- The intervention or exposure
- The comparison or control group
- The primary outcome measure(s)
We understand that not every project will fit neatly into this format, but any abstract for different types of research should provide a comparable level of detail.
Students, residents and fellows must also submit a letter of support for the project from their program director or faculty mentor to verify that the project has been reviewed at the program level.
If the project requires Human Subjects approval, documentation must be forwarded to the office prior to data collection and analysis.
Data collection requirements
Users of this service must perform their own data collection and analysis.
Grant Services and Support
Pay rate for faculty projects
Faculty using Biomedical and Health Informatics staff to develop a grant for extramural funding are encouraged to include our statistician in their program's proposed budget as a certain percentage of full-time equivalent for the project. In such cases, we will work with you to establish appropriate work/payment levels.
Pay rate for medical student projects
If you are a medical student, the projects should receive financial backing through internal grants like the Sara Morrison grant, or from the program director or a faculty mentor. The rate for UMKC School of Medicine student projects is set at $75/hour. The same rate will apply to faculty-initiated projects as well.
In return, the BHI Office will provide the following support services
- An initial two-hour consultation (free of charge) at the start of the project to help with study design, data collection issues and establish timelines. We will make every attempt to schedule this appointment within one month of the initial request or sooner if possible.
- Email support and statistical analysis as the project develops.
- Review drafts of papers to be submitted to medical or other peer reviewed journals. We would anticipate that the staff person who works on the project will be listed as one of the co-authors to the publication.
Request Service and Submit Your Information
To request service, submit the required information and documents through our intake form.
Have Questions?
Please contact Dr. An-Lin Cheng with general questions about the service.