Research is a critical component of medical education and training, and the Clinical Research Center at UCSF Fresno is a valuable resource for fellows, faculty, SJV PRIME medical students, and staff seeking to develop or complete studies and projects.
Among the benefits of the CRC is access to biostatistical support and education through a partnership with UC Merced’s Biostatistics and Data Support Core Center. An arm of statistics, biostatistics is used to interpret medical data, test or refute hypotheses, and credibly communicate research findings that meet the standards for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
UCSF Fresno, a regional campus of UCSF School of Medicine, is the leading academic physician training program between Sacramento and Los Angeles. The establishment of the Clinical Research Center at UCSF Fresno in 2013 consolidated research at UCSF Fresno into a single facility for clinical trials, outpatient management, and researchers' needs. In 2018, the partnership with UC Merced’s Biostatistics and Data Support Core Center was established, providing comprehensive statistical and data analysis support to help researchers analyze complex data.
This September, prospective researchers at UCSF Fresno were offered one-on-one in-person biostatistics sessions, including guidance on data collection, quality control, database construction and management, and assistance with data analysis. Incoming fellows were also introduced to members of the UC Merced biostatistics team during a fellowship orientation session.
“Consultations with biostatisticians are essential for study design, data collection, and analysis,” said Alec Chan-Golston, PhD, assistant professor of Public Health at UC Merced and director of the Health Sciences Institute Biostatistics and Data Support Core Center.
“Pre-study work can identify the number of observations that need to be collected or which measurements and variables must be obtained, while post-data collection support can analyze the data, help with manuscript preparation, and create data visualizations,” said Chan-Golston. “The goal of these meetings is to make the researchers feel supported during all steps of the research project and confident in reporting their findings."
“Having trained biostatisticians from off-site who can meet in person with researchers can provide a fresh perspective,” said Eyad Almasri, MD, assistant dean for Research at UCSF Fresno.
For the in-person consultations in September, participants were encouraged to come prepared to discuss their research goals, anticipated timelines, publications, presentations, or other outcomes, and to bring research ideas, questions, and relevant documents for the team to review. Emy Lopez Phillips, EdD, a UCSF adjunct associate professor and director of the Hildebrand Medical Library at UCSF Fresno, said she welcomed the one-on-one time with a member of the UC Merced biostatistical team. “It was a great opportunity to have some research that I’ve had in development reviewed by someone who could give me some more guidance.”
When you are in a face-to-face conversation with someone, “there is something very powerful that can only be done in person,” she said.
Lopez Phillips, former director of UCSF Fresno Office of Health Career Pathways, said that since she met with the biostatistician, her research paper, “Assessing the Impact of a High School Health Career Pathway Program Based at a Regional Medical Campus: UCSF Fresno’s Doctors Academy," has been accepted for publication by the “Journal of Regional Medical Campuses (JRMC).”
