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Research methods important as results by Michael Baker Public Relations Research represents part of the foundation upon which MUSC stands. Project proposals, grant recipients, and research findings dominate the news surrounding the institution, and the methodology of such experimentation often is relegated to the shadows. But for those who work in the Department of Biometry and Epidemiology, the logistics of the research are as important as the results.  “We focus on methods for the design, analysis, and interpretation of research,” said Barbara Tilley, Ph.D., chair of the department, “and on developing new, better methodologies for conducting research and analyzing findings.”  For example, the department currently works with the Alzheimer’s research program, assisting in the design of studies of the disease, determining sample sizes of participants, and collaborating with members of the departments of Neurology and Psychiatry to decide how to analyze the data after the study concludes. Biometry and Epidemiology operates within three concentrations: biostatistics, bioinformatics, and epidemiology. According to Tilley, biostatistics concerns the application of statistics to biomedical problems. In a clinical trial studying treatments for patients with Parkinson’s disease, for example, neurologists may study a large number of health outcomes in each patient. After the trial concludes, biostatistics experts would help the researchers analyze the raw data to detect any trends suggesting the treatment is effective. “Researchers may glean information from a large number of patients,” she explained. “By looking at the measurements together, we can help the researchers make better assessments of whether statistical patterns represent noteworthy trends or merely chance occurrences.” The second concentration, bioinformatics, includes the use of mathematical models and computer algorithms. These approaches are applied to sequence alignment, array interpretation, metabolic pathway analysis, and neuro-networking analysis of vast amounts of data from life processes at the molecular and biochemical levels. In bioinformatics, faculty members collaborate with researchers from many disciplines, including genetics, marine biology and pro-teomics.  “In epidemiology, the term ‘disease’ isn’t limited to traditional infectious diseases,” Tilley explained. “For example, our epidemiologists also examine risk factors associated with unintended pregnancy, the relationship of low birth weight to adverse health outcomes in adults, the impact of low-dose radiation on cancer, and health outcomes for traumatic brain injuries.” The National Cancer Institute recently awarded a methodological grant to a faculty member in the department, to be used for developing new approaches to the analysis of data from cancer studies. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute awarded a similar methodological grant for developing analytical methods in cardiovascular diseases. In fact, the department’s funding increased dramatically from the fiscal years 1999 to 2002. The value of active grants in 1999 stood at approximately $500,000; in 2002, the total jumped to $6 million, most of which came from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although collaborations with outside institutions aren’t unusual—the department assisted the University of Cincinnati with stroke research and also works with pharmaceutical companies—much of the work in biometry and epidemiology revolves around helping other researchers at MUSC. “We work with almost every department here,” Tilley said. “Besides designing studies and analyzing data, members of our department also help investigators develop grants proposals.”  She added that Joyce Nicholas, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology, meets weekly with residents and faculty in neurosurgery to discuss research ideas and methods of project design. “There’s a definite need here,” Tilley said, when asked about the frequency of intradepartmental cooperation. “We don’t want to stray too far from the center of our responsibility.” Keeping the department even more centered is the fact that MUSC President Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., holds a faculty appointment within the department. The ability to count MUSC’s leader as a team member hints at a staunch dedication to education. Tilley explained that education and research are equally important in the department and cited the Clinical Master’s Program as an example. “About 10 students participate in the program each year,” she explained, “and many of them stay at MUSC to write grants and conduct research. When the students we teach choose to remain at the university, it enriches the institutional environment.” Tilley added that the department also has strong master’s and doctoral programs in each of the three departmental concentrations. Whether strengthening other departments’ research with efficient experimental designs, conducting research of its own, or fostering the knowledge of future researchers, the Department of Biometry and Epidemiology dedicates itself to furthering intellectual discovery at MUSC.     Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.