Data Management, Informatics, and Statistics Core

The Data Management, Informatics, and Statistics (DMIS) Core of the North Texas Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (NT-ADRC) is a central hub for data collection, integration, curation, quality assurance, warehousing, and dissemination of data and information within and outside of our Center.

We collect, harmonize, and make our multimodal data accessible to NT-ADRC researchers. The core also facilitates the sharing of data with the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) and other ADRCs and serves as a unifying node of our cores, providing diverse data science and informatics approaches to NT-ADRC investigators and internal or external collaborators. Our goal is to enable impactful science through high-quality, accessible data.

The DMIS Core aims to:

• Develop and maintain data management and visualization infrastructure for the NT-ADRC to facilitate participant recruitment; electronic data collection; integration of data; and biospecimen management
• Provide statistical support in study design and data analysis for NT-ADRC and affiliated investigators
• Provide specialized data science and informatics support to the NT-ADRC and affiliated investigators
• Provide training and educational opportunities for Research Education Component (REC) scholars and NT-ADRC and affiliated investigators

We take innovative approaches to implementing the latest informatics practices for the NT-ADRC. For example, our Data Commons and AD Explorer bring together research data and metadata into a single source and allow investigators to explore and visualize available data specimens.

Collaboration

The DMIS Core integrates with every NT-ADRC core to enable centralized data collection and access to the information they need. Collaborations include:

• Administrative Core: Help track our recruitment goals and participant progress throughout the study
• Biomarker and Imaging Core: Catalog imaging scans and biospecimen tracking (such as serum and spinal fluid samples); link to clinical data
• Clinical Core: Partner to capture all clinical data from a visit
• Neuropathology Core: Help discover available specimens and collect details about new specimens; link to clinical data
• Outreach and Recruitment Core: Coordinate data from recruitment efforts for enrollment in the study

We also support data requests and sharing with NACC and other local, regional, and national initiatives.

Core Faculty

Operations Team

Mounika Thakkallapally, M.S.
Data Scientist II

Rita Mazumder
Senior Database Analyst

Aditi Dhariya
Informatics Program Manager

Facilities and Research Programs

IMAGINe (Informatics for Multidisciplinary Advancement, Guidance, and Innovation in Neuroscience): Led by Justin Rousseau, M.D., IMAGINe makes biomedical data accessible and usable for research and clinical decision-making.

Salter Lab: Amber Salter, Ph.D., and her team seek to advance biomedical knowledge in neurology and support investigators with study design and biostatistics in neurology.

Quantitative Biomedical Research Center: The QBRC has multiple research labs for interdisciplinary biological research.

Deep Learning for Precision Health Lab: The lab of Albert Montillo, Ph.D., develops the theory and application of deep learning to improve healthcare.